Health chiefs have recalled a number of medicines that contain the ingredient valsartan.
The recall came after the detection of a chemical – n-nitrosodimethylamine – that could lead to cancer.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention said the recall is a precautionary measure following a report issued by the European Medicines Agency.
Valsartan is used to treat hypertension and can prevent cardiovascular complications associated with the condition. The list of recalled products include Cinfaval, Co-cinfaval, Diostar plus, Valdio and Valdio hct.
The medicines affected were manufactured by Chinese company Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical.
Other medicines containing valsartan are not affected. For example, Swiss company Novartis informed the ministry that their products containing valsartan are not impacted because these products do not contain the ingredient from external suppliers.
Meanwhile, the ministry urged people not to believe rumours about medicine and to check official sources for information. This came in response to recent inaccurate news reports on social media covering the supposed withdrawal of Diovan.
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