Published Sep 30, 2019

If Heartburn Drug Zantac Is Being Pulled From Stores For Cancer Link, Why Are There Still Ads For It On TV?

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News broke over the weekend that major retailers were stopping sales on the heartburn drug Zantac after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning that it may contain cancer causing chemicals. Yet, ads for the drug were still running on popular television shows like “60 Minutes” over the weekend.

The decision to run the ads is unsettling, especially since the FDA’s warning has caused major chain-pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens to halt sales completely. After the news broke last week, Dr. Jamie Koufman, one of the country’s leading experts in acid reflux and heartburn, told SurvivorNet that considering the FDAs warning — it’s probably wise to treat heartburn with other medications or methods, at least for now.

The FDA’s warning explained that the heartburn medication may contain small levels of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is listed as a probable carcinogen. CVS halted sales of both Zantac and its own generic brand on the drug “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the company.

Retailers like CVS and Walgreens have stopped selling Zantac over a fear it may cause cancer.

The FDA did not directly call for people to stop taking Zantac or the generic version of the drug, called ranitidine, but did advise people to speak to their doctors about taking some sort of alternative heartburn medication.

Dr. Koufman told SurvivorNet that it’s probably in your best interest to switch to another heartburn drug if you are currently taking Zantac. However, there are risks to be aware of with other drugs as well. Dr. Koufman said that drugs like Tagamet or Pepcid, which are both in the same drug “class” as Zantac, are safer options than drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid, and Protonix, which are in a different class than Zantac, but are meant to address some of the same symptoms — because the drugs from the latter class have been linked to cancer as well.

Just How Dangerous is Zantac?

Like many doctors, Dr. Koufman had been recommending Zantac to patients who were suffering from heartburn for decades — until the recent FDA warning. But just how dangerous is the drug? After all, the probable cancer-causing chemical in Zantac is also found in smoked meats and fish. So logically, wouldn’t it make sense to assume that taking the occasional Zantac would only be as risky as occasionally heading to a BBQ where they’re serving smoked pork? The answer to that one is not quite.

Doctors are still trying to figure out exactly how much cancer-linked NDMA is actually in Zantac. Data from the FDA hasn’t matched up with data from other investigations — so the industry is still trying to come to a consensus. If the levels of NDMA are as low as they are in smoked meat and fish, the risk for taking Zantac would be the same as the risk a person takes when occasionally indulging in these foods.

While doctors are waiting on the data, major drug retailers like CVS have decided not to risk it. The same can’t be said for the television stations that air Zantac ads, but again, the data is still unclear. We don’t know just yet whether the FDA will actually issue a full recall.

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