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Pfizer recalls three blood pressure pills after finding cancer risk

Three blood pressure medications manufactured by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer have been recalled after a potential cancer-causing chemical compound was discovered in them.

Accuretic, along with two generic blood pressure medications licensed by the company, were found to have elevated levels of nitrosamine, which can put someone at risk of cancer if they are exposed to elevated levels.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that some levels of the compounds are ok, and frequent in food and drink consumed everyday, but consistent use of drugs with detected impurities can prove dangerous.

Pfizer voluntarily issued the recall on Monday and did not report any adverse events related to the impurities. The company's Canadian branch recalled another blood pressure drug, Inderal, for similar reasons last week. 

Provided by Daily Mail Pfizer has issued a voluntary recall for Accuretic, a blood pressure drug, found to have nitrosamine impurities, which can cause cancer after continuous exposure

Provided by Daily Mail While small amount of nitrosamine are safe, continuous exposure to large amounts is tied to a variety of cancers

'Nitrosamine impurities may increase the risk of cancer if people are exposed to them above acceptable levels and over long periods of time, but a person taking a drug that contains nitrosamines at-or-below the acceptable daily intake limits every day for 70 years is not expected to have an increased risk of cancer,' the FDA writes about nitrosamines.

Pfizer's recall includes lots of the drug that were distributed around the U.S. and Puerto Rico from November 2019 to March 2022. 

The agency recommends people that are taking a drug that is discovered to have nitrosamine impurities to immediately stop.

On Tuesday, the day following the recall, the company's stock price has lost two percent of its value, down to $53.08 per share as of 12:58 pm.This is despite an overall strong day for the market as of mid-day.

fizer advised any current hypertension patients that were managing their condition using the recalled drug speak to a doctor about potential alternatives. 

'Pfizer believes the benefit/risk profile of the products remains positive based on currently available data,' the company wrote in a statement.

'Although long- term ingestion of N-nitroso-quinapril may be associated with a potential increased cancer risk in humans, there is no immediate risk to patients taking this medication.'

Accuretic is a combination between two different drugs, quinapril and hydrochlorothiazide.

Quinapril is an ace inhibitor drug that prevents a person's blood vessels from narrowing, helping prevent high blood pressure.

Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic, which causes a person to urinate more. This can quickly get rid of sodium in the body, helping reduce a person's blood pressure.

Both drugs are commonly used in other blood pressure medications as well.

Nitrosamines are often unintentionally found in processed foods as a byproduct of a chemical reaction between different chemicals used in the process.

Provided by Daily Mail Pfizer has recalled three blood pressure drugs in recent days, with the company's Canadian branch recalling Inderal for similar reasons just last week

'There are multiple reasons why nitrosamines can be present in drugs,' according to the FDA.

'FDA found the source of nitrosamines can be related to the drug’s manufacturing process or its chemical structure or even the conditions in which they are stored or packaged.' 

'As foods and drugs are processed in the body, nitrosamines can also be formed.'

They can be found in anything from certain meats, alcohol, cigarettes or even makeup.

Consistent over-exposure to the compound has been tied to lung, brains, liver, kidney, bladder and stomach cancer, among others.

The FDA reports that a recent increase in drugs being recalled for containing the chemical compound is more a result of the agency and other groups having more accurate testing technology now then it had in previous years. 

Reference: Mansur Shaheen U.S. Deputy Health Editor For Dailymail.Com

Your rights if you're fed up of smelling cannabis smoke next door

Cannabis smoking and possession without a valid prescription is illegal in the UK despite the number of people who smoke it without seeming concerned about being caught.

The Class B drug - more commonly known as weed - usually leaves a strong, unmistakable smell that lingers in the air. You may find yourself smelling it quite frequently depending where you live.

In residential and business premises up and down the county, gangs of criminals and individuals set up growing factories to produce the class B drug. Many farms feature sophisticated growing set-ups using stolen electricity and dodgy wiring and often trafficked individuals are placed into the factory to take care of the illegal crop.

Currently the law for Class B drugs is up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both, for anyone caught in possession. Supply and production carries a longer sentence of potentially up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.

There are a number of sustained efforts going on to fully decriminalise the drug in the UK, but none have been successful. Downing Street said last year that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has “absolutely no intention of legalising cannabis”.

Anyone with neighbours who regularly use cannabis might be left wondering what you can do about the stink. Below are the rules and some of the key things you can do if you suspect that weed is being smoked in your area, reports BristolLive.

The answer is no. Any suggestion that you are allowed to is an urban myth. A police spokesman told Derbyshire Live in 2018: "The possession of cannabis is an offence and will be dealt with by police.

"It is a widespread issue and we are focusing our resources to target those connected with the cultivation and dealing of the drug to help crack down on the issue. We would encourage anyone who suspects drug activity in their community to contact us."

If I call the police, will my neighbours know it was me?

A spokesman said at the time that police would "never give away a caller's identity". She said: "We wouldn't say information has come from a neighbour as that narrows it down. We'd just say we received a call." She added that officers on patrol might also use tip-offs to inform where they go on patrol.

If they were to smell the cannabis themselves, they might knock on the door and broach the subject that way. She added that people could always call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if they wanted to remain anonymous throughout the process.

What will happen to my neighbours if I report them?

The police spokesman said this could depend on a number of variables, including the amount of cannabis, and whether someone has had any previous convictions.

In East Yorkshire, the majority of cannabis cases that Hull Live reports on in the crown court involve large-scale cannabis 'farm' production as opposed to individual possession. Last May data was shared by drugs charity Release, raising concerns about a 'postcode lottery' of how cannabis possession is dealt with from force to force.

Reference:Hull Live: :Ross Millen & Jon Macpherson & Lucy Leeson

Supplements: The popular pill shown to increase prostate cancer risk by a whopping 163%

Supplements are used by many to help top up vitamin levels. Vitamins and minerals, such as iron, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin D are essential nutrients that the body needs in small amounts to work properly. But evidence have shown the negative effects of taking certain supplements pertaining to its link with cancer.

Folic acid is the man-made version of the vitamin folate (also known as vitamin B9).

Folate helps the body make healthy red blood cells and is found in certain foods.

The supplement is used for preventing and treating low blood levels of folate (folate deficiency) and high blood levels of homocysteine (hyperhomocysteinemia).

Research has shown that folic acid supplements is linked to higher risk of prostate cancer.

Supplements: Folic acid

Studies suggests a link between folic acid supplements and an increased risk for prostate cancer.

Men in the study who took high doses of the vitamin had a more than twofold increase in prostate cancer risk, compared to men who did not take folic acid supplements.

There were too few prostate cancers among the study participants to prove that folic acid promotes prostate cancer, said DR Jane C. Figueiredo of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

"What we can say is that a lot of folate is unlikely to be beneficial with regard to prostate cancer, and it just might be harmful," she says.

In the analysis men were randomly assigned to a placebo or supplements with daily low-dose aspirin and 1 milligram of folic acid daily -- two and a half times the recommended daily dose of the vitamin for men and for women who are not pregnant or nursing.

Those taking aspirin alone were found to have no significant effect on prostate cancer incidence, but taking folic acid was found to increase the risk for prostate cancer by 163 percent.

In an accompanying editorial, two cancer and nutrition experts concluded that "the prospects for cancer prevention through micronutrient supplementation have never looked worse."

Supplements: Folic acid

In another study published in BMJ, cancer risk with folic acid supplementation was further analysed.

Meta-analyses of six randomised controlled trials reporting prostate cancer incidence for the men receiving folic acid compared to controls.

"No significant difference in cancer incidence was shown between groups receiving folic acid and placebo/control group, for any other cancer type," noted the study.

It concluded: "A meta-analysis of 10 RCTs showed a borderline significant increase in frequency of overall cancer in the folic acid group compared to controls.

"Prostate cancer was the only cancer type found to be increased after folic acid supplementation.

"Prospective studies of cancer development in populations where food is fortified with folic acid could indicate whether fortification similar to supplementation moderately increases prostate cancer risk."

According to the NHS, folic acid can also affect the way other medicines work.

"Do not take your folic acid within two hours before or after taking indigestion remedies (antacids containing aluminium or magnesium), as they may stop folic acid being properly absorbed," warns the health body.

Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start taking folic acid:

• Methotrexate, a medicine used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis and some types of cancer
• Phenytoin, fosphenytoin, phenobarbital or primidone, medicines used to treat epilepsy
• Fluorouracil, capecitabine, raltitrexed or tegafur, medicines used to treat some types of cancer
• Antibiotics, medicines used to treat or prevent bacterial infection
• Medicines or alternative remedies that contain zinc (including throat lozenges and cold remedies)
• Sulfasalazine, a medicine used to treat the inflammatory bowel conditions ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
• Cholestyramine, a medicine used to reduce cholesterol. 

Reference: Daily Express: Jessica Knibbs

Hospital nurse who 'dragged' dementia patient and forcibly gave wrong dose of drug asks to be struck off

The nurse worked at the Western General hospital

A watchdog found actions of Carol Picton who worked in the stroke unit at Western General Hospital to be ‘deplorable’ and ‘abusive’.

Miss Picton dragged a patient back to her room, tilted her bed so she was stuck there and ‘attempted to give an incorrect dose’ of sedation drug Haloperidol – twice.

A colleague said Picton had spent an hour alone with the woman in her room with the lights off as she ‘screamed in distress’.

Picton was reported to health chiefs after a colleague raised the alarm and she initially denied the allegations. She later admitted she was ‘not fit to practise’ and asked to be struck off the register.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found Picton subjected the elderly vulnerable woman to ‘harassment and abuse’ and ‘showed no dignity and respect’ in her conduct.

The regulator found five charges against her proved and suspended the nurse for a year.

Picton dragged the woman, referred to in a report as A, by the arm into her room and tilted her bed so she couldn’t leave.

A witness described Picton forcibly giving her Haloperidol, an anti-psychotic treatment, without checking the correct dosage.

When the woman spat the drug out, she gave her more, again without checking, putting the woman at risk of a fatal overdose.

She administered the sedative twice without the patient's consent using a 2ml injection syringe.

READ MORE: No FAI into death of tragic mum who went missing for seven hours at Royal Infirmary

A colleague who provided evidence during the inquiry said he was “shocked” by her treatment of the patient.

He said the nurse had lowered the bed guard rail and put her hand under the woman's jaw so she couldn’t move her head.

The witness described how she filled a syringe to its maximum without checking the amount of medication – twice.

A panel concluded the forceful administration of drugs on November 15, 2017 had shown 'reckless disregard of safe administration of medication’.

A report by the panel said: “Miss Picton is alleged to have forcefully administered (a further) dose of Haloperidol. The registrant gave Patient A too much of the medication within a short period of time and this could have led to over-sedation which can in extreme cases lead to death."

The NMC, which maintains the register for all nurses eligible to practise in the UK, found Picton’s actions demonstrated “a deliberate unwillingness to follow necessary protocols for “safe practice” and indicated a “bullying attitude”.

The panel stated her misconduct caused physical and emotional harm to the woman but decided against striking her off, after a long career as a registered nurse.

After denying the charges during an internal investigation by the Western General, it later emerged Picton admitted that she was 'not fit to practise'.

In an email, Picton said: "I am not fit to practise and have asked in each communication that my name be removed from the NMC register."

Another panel will review the suspension in twelve months.

Janis Butler, director of human resources and organisational development for NHS Lothian, said: “Any allegation of misconduct or any other form of inappropriate behaviour is taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly using recognised processes.”