Two life-saving tuberculosis drugs were found to contain elevated levels of chemicals that may cause cancer, according to the Food and Drug Administration, but the treatments will be allowed to remain on the market out of worry that supplies could run short.
The drugs rifampin and rifapentine contain nitrosamine impurities, the FDA said in a statement Wednesday. A similar chemical contamination led to recalls in the past two years for millions of blood-pressure pills, as well as brand and generic forms of the heartburn medicine Zantac and a popular diabetes therapy. Some nitrosamine compounds are considered possible or probable human carcinogens.
