For more than 40 years, British pharmaceutical company Glaxo has hidden the dangers of its stomach ulcer and heartburn drug Zantac. This was reported on February 15 by the agency Bloomberg.
According to the agency, since 1978, the manufacturer knew about the property of the active substance of the drug ranitidine to release the strong carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in the body. At the same time, the company hid the results of these studies and did not recall the drug from pharmacies.
As noted by Bloomberg, at one time Zantac was the best-selling prescription drug in the world. The company received an award from Queen Elizabeth II, and chief executive Andrew Whitty was knighted.
The dangers of ranitidine became known only in 2019. Since then, Zantac manufacturers and health regulators around the world have begun recalling the drug. In the spring of 2020, the release and use of the drug was banned.
However, pharmacists claim that the increased risk of cancer when taking Zantac has not been scientifically proven and such assumptions are speculation.
Bloomberg reported that NDMA used to be added to rocket fuel and is now being used to induce cancer in lab rats. Studies have shown that a small amount of NDMA was not dangerous, but ranitidine contained an excessive amount of this substance, which increased over time.
The news is being supplemented
