25 October 2019
Islanders who take ranitidine - a medicine used to treat
conditions such as stomach ulcers and acid reflux – are being reassured that
alternatives are available.
This is because it is likely to be in short supply in the
coming weeks after products made for the UK market were quarantined.
Regulators have quarantined supplies of ranitidine after a
contaminant - a potential carcinogen - was found within the medicine. The drug
was quarantined at the time of production and has not made it into general
circulation.
Island doctors and pharmacists have been notified of the
issue and given guidance on how to manage the shortage.
More than 1,700 islanders are prescribed ranitidine and they
are asked to contact their GP for review and to discuss alternatives if ongoing
treatment is necessary. Some patients who have been taking the drug for a long
time may be able to stop taking a medicine altogether while others may be able
to be prescribed an alternative drug.
gov.je