Some valsartan generic medicines coming from China being recalled across the EU

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is reviewing medicines containing the active substance valsartan that is supplied by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals, a company based in Linhai, China.

Now off patent, valsartan is the active ingredient of Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) former block-buster blood pressure drug Diovan, and is still much in use as part of the Swiss pharma giant’s newer combination drugs such as Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan).

The EMA review was triggered after the Chinese company detected an impurity, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), in the valsartan active substance which it supplies to manufacturers producing some of the valsartan generic medicines available in the European Union.