The FDA found a cancer causing chemical in Zantac, a popular heartburn medication that reduces stomach acid. Thousands of Houstonians use prescription and OTC Zantac to control their acid reflux symptoms. The carcinogenic contaminant known as NDMA, N-nitrosodimethylamine, was recently found in Valsartan, a blood pressure medication that led to massive drug recall. So far, NDMA levels detected in Zantac are not high enough to trigger a recall. There are speculations, however, that the Ranitidine (Zantac) molecule, is inherently unstable and can degrade during digestion to create higher amounts of NDMA.
NDMA can cause liver and colon cancer. It is found in very low amounts in cured meats like bacon as well as tobacco products. Acid reflux patients who depend on daily Zantac intake to control heartburn are at increased cancer risk secondary to NDMA contamination. Until this issue is clearly resolved, Houston Heartburn and Reflux Center recommends substituting Zantac for other heartburn medications.
*Update: In 2020, the FDA requested all manufacturers of ranitidine to withdraw their products from the market. Ranitidine has been discontinued worldwide due to the instability of this molecule leading to production of NDMA during storage or digestion.
In 2021, Sanofi, the pharmaceutical company that manufactured Zantac, replaced Ranitidine in Zantac with Famotidine and called its new product, Zantac 360.
To date, the FDA’s testing has not found NDMA in famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet), esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec).