products and vegetables. In low amounts, NDMA is harmless but can lead to cancer in higher amounts and with long term exposure.
NDMA is made as an unintentional byproduct of chemical reactions at industrial sites and can find its way into drugs during the manufacturing process or through storage or the packing process.
The director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Janet Woodcock, MD, said: “The FDA is investigating whether metformin in the U.S. market contains NDMA and whether it is above the acceptable daily intake limit of 96 nanograms.”
She also made it clear that “Patients should continue taking metformin to keep their diabetes under control. It could be dangerous for patients with this serious condition to stop taking their medication without first talking to their healthcare professional.”
The FDA also recommends that physicians continue to use metformin while the investigation is underway as there are no alternative therapies to treat the disease in the same way.
NMDA has been found in popular heartburn medications. The FDA asked the manufacturers to