BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) —Health authorities in Barbados have announced the withdrawal of the Citron branded Valsartan after tests conducted by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
The Ministry of Health and Wellness said that the recall of the Citron branded Valsartan, along with Indapamide, was due to the “failure of both tablets to dissolve.
“This decision was made after testing was carried out by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and is not related to the FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) recall,” the Ministry of Health and Wellness said.
Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kenneth George said the authorities “will continue to monitor the FDA drug recalls for all categories of drugs and will make all necessary decisions to protect the health of the Barbadian public”.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Wellness said it wanted to assure the public that none of the drugs identified in the December 31 recall of the hypertensive drug, Valsartan, by the FDA is approved by the Barbados Drug Service for sale in Barbados.
It said that the FDA recall is related to the discovery of an impurity believed to increase cancer risk. The branded products recalled are from a specific company and have been identified as Valsartan, Amlodipine-Valsartan and Valsartan hydrochlorothiazide tablets.
“The ministry has made it clear that all brands approved for dispensing in Barbados are FDA-approved and also meet local standards,” the statement said.
