When the FDA expanded its recall of a popular heart drug Tuesday, many people became concerned.
The most recent recall of Valsartan is because some of the products may contain a potentially cancer-causing chemical.
At one local pharmacy, there has been a steady flow of patients eager to switch out their prescription.
"We have people coming in by the handfuls everyday to return this medicine, to get something else. They are very afraid of what they heard on the news," said Majoria Pharmacist B.J. Guidry.
In Old Metairie, Majoria Drugs is inundated with people returning unused high blood pressure medicine, even some who work there.
"We had two bottles of unused medicine because we had just gotten our prescriptions filled when we heard about the recall, so we brought those back to Majoria's," said Sue Walsh, who is an employee and explained that both she and her husband take Valsartan.
She's also seen the many concerned customers coming in.
"A lot of them have been hearing in the news and kind of panicking about it. Yes, they are very upset about it. They think that the medicine is causing them great harm, that it could be poisonous," said Walsh.
The pharmacist quarantined the many returned bottles and is replacing the unused pills with uncontaminated lots, or with different high blood pressure medicine prescribed by their doctors.
"They're worried about the cancer risk that was associated with it. They're worried about not having medication to control their blood pressure," said Guidry.
The FDA says certain lots of Valsartan picked up a by product contaminant when the manufacturing process was changed a few years ago by companies in China. The risk of that causing liver cancer, was shown in laboratory rats to be extremely low.
"Valsarton can be life-saving because it lowers blood pressure and it protects against heart failure," said Dr. Keith Ferdinand, Tulane Cardiologist and Professor of Clinical Medicine at Tulane's Heart and Vascular Institute.
Dr. Ferdinand says in the time it takes you to change out your prescription, do not stop taking the one you have.
"We're looking at hypertension and heart failure. These are very serious conditions and just stopping your medicine and throwing it away is probably not the best course," said Dr. Ferdinand.
In the meantime, pharmacies that had no role in the contamination, are unsure how and if they will be reimbursed by the Chinese manufacturers for all the returned pills, and the new higher-priced, safe ones they are replacing them with.
"So a product that may have cost 30 cents is now costing $30."
The Valsartan alone, and the one that's a combination water pill, are both recalled, but the water pill alone is not being recalled. Recalled valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide tablets (dosages range from 80mg/12.5mg to 320mg/25 mg).
Not all Valsartan products contain the contaminant NDMA.
The products that have been recalled can be found by clicking here.
The products that have NOT been recalled can be found by clicking here.
More information on the contaminant can be found below:
The FDA's scientists estimate that one additional case of cancer would develop over the lifetime of 8,000 patients is they took the highest dose of valsartan (320 mg) daily, from the recalled batches for four years. Click here for more.
Meg Farris can be reached at mfarris@wwltv.com.