Uncontaminated valsartan or a suitable substitute to the blood-pressure drug will be available in pharmacies this week, the Times of Malta has been informed.
Patients who consume the drug have been advised to contact their doctor after the European Medicines Agency raised the alarm over a key ingredient found to contain an impurity – a chemical that could pose a potential cancer risk.
Some 27,000 patients in Malta take valsartan through the government’s Pharmacy of Your Choice scheme, and local health experts have warned that continuing to take the medication in the short term is less risky than stopping it abruptly.
Cardiologist Robert Xuereb explained that patients should not stop taking their medication abruptly, since it would result in a rebound surge in blood pressure with a consequent increased risk of strokes and heart attacks.
When contacted, a spokeswoman for the Health Ministry said that as soon as the issue of valsartan was made public internationally, the Central Procurement Services Unit started the process to obtain uncontaminated pills or a suitable substitute. The said stock will be available in pharmacies later this week, she added.
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