Ranitidine in short supply: why now, and where next?

Ranitidine is currently in very short supply both in the UK and around the world. Major manufacturers have undertaken a product recall, and new stock is not being released to the market. Despite the sudden shortage of ranitidine occurring from mid-October, shortly before the previous Brexit deadline, this situation is not related to the UK’s relationship with the EU. Rather, this situation has arisen because of concerns over potentially carcinogenic impurities within the medication and affects most brands from most manufacturers.

The issues began after a review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) identified that some ranitidine brands were found to contain low levels of the nitrosamine impurity called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). NDMA is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialised cancer agency of WHO. However, it is also accepted that NDMA can be an environmental contaminant found in water supplies...

from Archives of Disease in Childhood current issue https://ift.tt/3dcY3uT