-CVS Pharmacy has suspended sales of all ranitidine heartburn-combating products, including the brand-name version Zantac, "until further notice," the chain said Saturday.
"This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution due to a recent Product Alert from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that ranitidine products may contain a low level of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is a probable human carcinogen," the drug chain said in a statement.
CVS joins Walgreens, Walmart and Rite Aid in suspending the sales, according to BBC News.
On Sept. 19, Sandoz, owned by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, implemented a "precautionary distribution stop" of generic drugs containing ranitidine, an acid-blocking antacid and antihistamine, halting shipments but not stopping the sale of drugs already stocked, and not recalling the medicines.
Canada banned the sale of the drugs altogether, as did France, BBC News reported. Both the FDA and its counterpart the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are studying the issue...
CVS suspends sale of heartburn drug Zantac over cancer concerns - New York Daily News