Radio Free Asia reported that, according to a notice that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued, certain batches of Valsartan (the medication used for high blood pressure and heart failure treatment) that the Zhejiang Tianyu Pharmaceutical Company manufactured were found to be impure and polluted with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). EMA is working with other international partners to investigate the impact of Valsartan. Prior to this, the study found that, when taken on a daily basis, one in every 5,000 patients who took a high dosage of the Valsartan that the Zhejiang Huahai company (not related to Zhejiang Tianyu) manufactured had cancer. In July, there was already a recall of Valsartan, due to safety concerns. The Canadian Health Department also stated that several drug companies have recalled the Valsartan generic drug out of concern for NDMA contamination. Currently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has listed N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) as a material that causes cancer.
Source: Radio Free Asia, August 11, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/3-08112018123648.html