Bloomberg Law
Sept. 12, 2019, 4:14 PM

How Carcinogen-Tainted Generic Drug Valsartan Got Past the FDA

Anna Edney
Anna Edney
Bloomberg News
Susan Berfield
Susan Berfield
Bloomberg News

The chemical N-Nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA, is a yellow liquid that dissolves in water. It doesn’t have an odor or much of a taste. It’s known to cause cancer in animals and is classified as a probable carcinogen in humans—it’s most toxic to the liver. A single dose of less than a milligram can mutate mice cells and stimulate tumors, and 2 grams can kill a person in days. An Oklahoma man poisoned the family of an ex-girlfriend in 1978 by pouring a small vial of NDMA into a pitcher of lemonade. In 2018 a graduate student in Canada sickened a ...

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