FDA is alerting patients and health care professionals to ScieGen’s voluntary recall of certain lots of irbesartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), because they contain N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), a known animal and suspected human carcinogen (causes cancer). FDA laboratory testing confirmed NDEA in some lots of ScieGen’s irbesartan. ScieGen’s irbesartan products are labeled as Westminster Pharmaceuticals and Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. (GSMS). See the list of irbesartan products under recall. This is the first non-valsartan drug product the agency has found to contain the NDEA impurity.

ScieGen’s recall affects about 1 percent of the irbesartan drug products in the U.S. market.

Additionally, Aurobindo, which manufactures the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for ScieGen’s irbesartan products, is recalling all unexpired lots of its irbesartan API supplied to the U.S. market with NDEA. FDA and Aurobindo laboratory testing confirmed NDEA in certain lots of their irbesartan API.

To date, ScieGen is the only manufacturer of irbesartan drug products found to contain NDEA. FDA continues to test all ARBs for the presence of impurities and has publicly posted two methods for manufacturers and regulatory agencies around the world to test their ARBs for the unexpected NDMA and NDEA impurities. The combined headspace method and the combined direct injection method can detect and quantify NDMA and NDEA simultaneously in ARB API and finished drug products.

(Source: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration)