What’s the problem?
The Diovan recall followed news that products manufactured at Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals in China may contain a probable human carcinogen, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), FDA said. The contamination is being attributed to changes in the facility’s manufacturing process dating back to 2012.
What is Diovan?
Diovan is used for the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension) in adults and children who are at least 6 years old. The drug may also be used to treat heart failure (myocardial infarction, or ‘MI’) in adult patients, and to lower the risk of death after a heart attack.
Valsartan Recall
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) in May 2018 began investigating Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals after reports surfaced of medications produced by the company testing positive for NDMA. In August 2018, the U.S. FDA announced that 3 companies were recalling their valsartan-containing medications which were supplied by the same Chinese company.
In August 2018 , FDA announced that certain batches of valsartan produced by the Indian company Hetero Labs Limited and sold under the label Camber Pharmaceuticals will also be recalled for NDMA contamination. That same month, Torrent Pharmaceuticals announced the voluntary recall of 14 lots of Valsartan/Amlodipine/HCTZ tablets due to the presence of NDMA. Click on the following list to view a complete list of valsartan drugs affected by the recall.
Diovan Side Effects
In addition to the increased cancer risk, serious side effects of Diovan and other valsartan drugs may include:
- Liver damage
- Tumors
- Chest pain
- Fainting
- Palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Weight loss
- Vomiting
- Swelling of the skin (lips and eyes)
Less severe side effects may include:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Tired feeling (malaise)
- Flu symptoms
- Stomach pain
- Diarrhea
- Back pain
- Joint pain
- Cough
FDA recalls common heart drug, joins 22 other countries: ABC Action News Video
Can I Participate in a Class Action?
If you or a loved one was injured by the side effects of Diovan or other valsartan-containing medication, our lawyers would like to speak with you immediately. You could be entitled to compensation through the filing of a lawsuit and we can help. Please note: Our lawyers are only filing individual lawsuits in this litigation. It has been our experience that individual claims in these types of cases typically result in better overall payouts to our clients, in addition to more freedom to control their own lawsuits.
Do I Have a Diovan Lawsuit?
The Class Action Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Diovan lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new cancer cases in all 50 states.
Free Case Evaluation: Again, if you were diagnosed with cancer and feel that Diovan may be to blame, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit and we can help.