[ProjectManhattan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
In recent years, a number of drug companies have carried out prominent recalls of hypertension, heartburn and diabetes medications due to the presence of nitrosamines, organic compounds shown to cause cancer in animal studies.The problem could cost Big Pharma companies billions of dollars, but proving the cancer-causing role of nitrosamines in drugs may be difficult. (Note: Nitrosamines are also in a host of processed foods, including cured meats.)
Morgan Stanley had estimated that the presence of nitrosamines in Zantac, once the best-selling drug in history, could cost GSK, Sanofi and Pfizer between $10.5 billion to $45 billion in trial judgments. But U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg dismissed claims related to the matter, questioning plaintiffs’ reasoning in interpreting the data linking nitrosamines in Zantac with cancer.
Nevertheles…