Major pharmacy retailers pull heartburn medication Zantac from shelves after FDA detects carcinogens in samples of drug

Wilfredo Lee/AP

A box of Maximum Strength Zantac tablets is shown at a pharmacy, Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, in Miami Beach, Fla. CVS has halted sales of the popular heartburn treatment and the store generic version after warnings by U.S. health regulators.

• Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid announced they are pulling the heartburn medication Zantac and other generic versions from their shelves, citing reports from the Food and Drug Administration of a cancer-causing contaminant in samples of the drug earlier this month.
• The FDA detected low levels of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is a type of nitrosamine, in samples of the heartburn drug. Nitrosamines can increase a person's risk for cancer and are believed to be carcinogenic to humans.
• While major pharmacy retailers are pulling the heartburn medication from their shelves, the companies that make the drug - including Sanofi, which makes brand-name Zantac - have yet to recall it.
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Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid announced they are pulling the heartburn medication Zantac and other generic versions from their shelves, citing reports from the Food and Drug Administration of a cancer-causing contaminant in samples of the drug earlier this month.

The FDA detected low levels of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is a type of nitrosamine, in samples of the heartburn drug, which is also known as ranitidine.

Nitrosamines can increase a person's risk for cancer, particularly in its ability to form "tumors in the liver and other organs in lab animals," The New York Times reported, and is believed to be carcinogenic to humans. Low levels of nitrosamines can also be found in certain common foods, such as fish, beer, fried foods, and meats, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Investigations are still ongoing to determine the source of the contamination and how it could affect patients who take it, The Times reported.

Read more: U.S. FDA flags probable cancer-causing impurity in common heartburn drugs

A Walgreens spokesman told The Times that the company intended to keep the heartburn medication off the shelves "while the FDA continues its review of the products." A Rite Aid spokesman echoed a similar sentiment to The Times, saying that the company was "in the process of removing Zantac and generic versions sold under the Rite Aid name from its shelves."

Walgreens and CVS told The Times that customers who had previously purchased Zantac or other generic forms that are being pulled from the shelves can return the products for a refund, The Times reported.

While major pharmacy retailers are pulling the heartburn medication from their shelves, the companies that make the drug - including Sanofi, which makes brand-name Zantac - has yet to recall the drug itself.

A spokesperson from Sanofi told The Times that the levels of NDMA found in the drug during preliminary tests "barely exceed amounts found in common foods."

"We are working closely with the FDA and are conducting our own robust investigations to ensure we continue to meet the highest quality safety and quality standards," the company told The Times.