Tests indicate heartburn drug Zantac does not form carcinogen in users: USFDA

Zantac sold over-the-counter in the United States by French drugmaker Sanofi SA, and some of its generic versions, have been recalled due to possible NDMA contamination of pills that had not yet been consumed.

New Delhi: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that tests it ran to simulate what happens to the commonly used heartburn drug Zantac in users' stomachs suggest it does not cause cancer-causing chemicals to form.

The regulator said it still plans to test the drugs in human patients to fully understand whether it causes levels of the probable carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) to form in patients.

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Zantac sold over-the-counter in the United States by French drugmaker Sanofi SA, and some of its generic versions, have been recalled due to possible NDMA contamination of pills that had not yet been consumed. The FDA said in October it found unacceptable levels of NDMA in drugs containing ranitidine.

Read Also: Sanofi pulls popular heartburn drug Zantac in the US, Canada