CHA Announcement on Ranitidine (Zantac)
To all CHA Patients,
You may be taking a medicine called RANITIDINE. It is used to treat heartburn or stomach problems. Another name for ranitidine is "Zantac". The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found out that some ranitidine has a small amount of a chemical called "NDMA". Small amounts of NDMA are in many foods like vegetables, dairy products and grilled meat. NDMA in very large amounts may increase the long-term risk of cancer in animals.
To be careful, some companies that make ranitidine have stopped selling it. But some companies are still making ranitidine because they have not found NDMA in their product.
We understand this news is concerning. Your ranitidine may not be affected by this problem.
What should you do?
- The FDA is not recommending stopping ranitidine at this time.
- If you need ranitidine, call your pharmacy to find out if your medicine is affected. You can find the pharmacy phone number on your medicine bottle.
- If your medicine is affected, the pharmacy may be able to give you a new supply of ranitidine from a company that is selling it.
- If the pharmacy cannot give you a new supply of ranitidine, ask the pharmacy to call your doctor.
- There are other medicines that do the same thing as ranitidine. Your doctor can choose a different medicine for you to try.
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