For those of you who suffer from gastric disorders, such as stomach ulcers, gastritis, or stomach acid disease, it may be familiar again with ranitidine. But lately, there has been a lot of news unsettling associated with withdrawal of the drug ranitidine. Why is the drug now withdrawn from the market?
Ranitidine is a drug used to treat symptoms of stomach pain or heartburn due to increased stomach acid. If left untreated, this excessive amount of stomach acid can cause various diseases, ranging from heartburn, peptic ulcers, acid reflux disease (GERD), to Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Ranitidine drugs work by inhibiting the production of stomach acid, so stomach ulcers will slowly heal. In addition to treating, ranitidine also plays a role in preventing the appearance of symptoms of indigestion due to consuming certain foods or drinks that can increase stomach acid.
Reasons for Ranitidine Drugs Withdrawn from Circulation
On September 17, 2019, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) gave instructions to the entire pharmaceutical industry and pharmacies that hold distribution permits for this product to stop production, distribution, and recall all ranitidine medicinal products already in circulation.
This is a follow-up to the warning issued by U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicine Agency (EMA) which found the presence of dangerous content in ranitidine, namely the compound N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). At certain levels, these compounds are known to potentially increase the risk of cancer.
Actually, NDMA compounds are not harmful as long as they are within the safe limit, which is under 96 nanograms per day. However, the test results of some samples of ranitidine drug brands showed that the amount of NDMA exceeded this limit. If NDMA exceeds the safe limit for consumption continuously for a long period of time, then the risk of the formation of cancer cells will be higher.
Until now, BPOM is still testing several ranitidine drugs circulating in Indonesia. This action was taken to further study and ensure the safety of the drug ranitidine.
If you have already taken ranitidine, you don't need to worry about responding to this, because the risk of cancer only occurs if ranitidine is used continuously in the long term.
In addition, cancer does not only occur because of the use of ranitidine alone. Many other factors can cause a person to get cancer, such as smoking habits, unhealthy eating patterns, frequent consumption of alcoholic beverages, exposure to cancer-causing substances from the environment, and even heredity.
Although BPOM has withdrawn the drug ranitidine, there are still several drug options and treatments that can be done to overcome gastric problems.
If you were previously prescribed ranitidine by a doctor and you are worried about the possible side effects, you can consult your doctor again to replace the drug with another drug.