A common antidepressant medication taken by millions has been voluntarily recalled by the distributor after high levels of a potentially cancer-causing chemical were detected.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, nearly 370,000 bottles of duloxetine delayed-release capsules are being recalled by manufacturer Towa Pharmaceutical and its American distributor Breckenridge Pharmaceutical due to levels of N-nitroso-duloxetine that exceeded the FDA’s limit.
The California State Board of Pharmacy stated the compound, also called a nitrosamine, “may increase the risk of cancer if people are exposed to them above acceptable levels over long periods of time.”
Those exposed to these impurities at or below the acceptable daily intake limit are not expected to have an increased risk of cancer.
Duloxetine is a prescription medication used for the treatment of depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and certain types of nerve or joint pain.
Sold under the brand name Cymbalta, it’s a type of selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) that works to increase serotonin and norepinephrine, hormones that regulate mood and pain, in the brain.
No adverse effects have been reported in connection with the recalled medication, which included multiple bottles across the 30mg and 60mg dosages.
The affected lot codes are 241074C, 240317, 240318, 240315C, 240373C, 240370C, 240375C, 240413C, 240316, 232311, 240978C, 241052C and 241180C.
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