Pharmacy warns FDA of cancer-causing chemical found in widely used heart pill

Valisure, an online pharmacy company licensed in 37 states, told the FDA last week that high levels of dimethylformamide were found in valsartan, a drug produced by Swiss drugmaker Novartis and other pharmaceutical companies. The drug is used to treat hypertension in adults. The World Health Organization classifies dimethylformamide, or DMF, as a probable human carcinogen.

Valisure ask that the medication be recalled and requested that the FDA review and significantly lower the acceptable intake of DMF from its current level of 8,800,000 nanograms to less than 1,000 nanograms. The online pharmacy said it found the cancer-causing chemical in valsartan produced by five companies.

The FDA will evaluate Valisure’s findings and will respond directly to the online pharmacy chain, FDA spokesman Jeremy Kahn said in a statement to CNBC. Patients should continue to take their blood pressure medication even if it is recalled until their doctor provides a replacement or alternative treatment, he added. Abruptly discontinuing a medication is risky, he said.

“The quality and safety of all our products is of the utmost importance to Novartis,” the spokesperson added.