Global Health AN ONLINE JOURNAL FOR THE DIGITAL AGE 1 and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. For the millions of patients ingesting ranitidine daily or even twice daily for one or more of these concurring gastrointestinal diseases, this meant an immediate change in their therapy to a different H2RA. This recall resulted in clinicians having a need to find alternate therapy for their patients, and pharmaceutical manufacturers struggled to conduct Matthew Buchfellner, PharmD student, independent studies on their own drugs to meet University of Findlay this increased raise in demand. The drug Findlay, OH, USA 45840 companies Amneal Pharmaceuticals and Mylan Email –
[email protected] have recalled and ceased production of another H2RA Axid (generic drug nizatidine) for the AN ANALYSIS OF HISTAMINE 2 exact same reason that their drug had trace RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS AND A amounts of NDMA.2 The FDA has since started PROPOSAL FOR LAFUTIDINE reviewing other H2RA’s and proton pump inhibitors for this contaminant.1 As far as On April 1st, 2020, the Food and Drug antagonists for the histamine-2 receptor in the Administration (FDA) made national gastrointestinal system, there now exists only headlines when it published a press release on two drugs that have been approved by the FDA, a popular gastrointestinal drug used in the Tagamet (generic drug cimetidine) and Pepcid United States. FDA requested withdrawal of (generic drug famotidine). Zantac (generic drug ranitidine) from all prescription and over-the-counter use The popularity of famotidine and cimetidine immediately, due to concerns of a N- had ultimately led to backorders for these Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) contaminant medications and difficulty for procuring these in the formulations.1 Sustained exposure to medications by multiple health systems.