Zantac belonged to one of the most popular anti-ulcer drugs. Patients took it to improve the functionality of their gastrointestinal tract. What made pharmacies recall this product? What are analogs to these pills?
What Medical Conditions Can Zantac Treat?
The human stomach produces acid that helps to digest food. There are many reasons which lead to increased and decreased amount of stomach acid. Zantac deals with cases of excessive production of gastric juice. Too much gastric acid can damage the gastrointestinal tract and cause serious diseases. Doctors prescribe this drug to patients who suffer from:
- gastric indigestions,
- multiple endocrine neoplasms,
- duodenal ulcer,
- gastric ulcer,
- after-surgery ulcer,
- reflux-esophagitis.
People also take it to prevent several gastrointestinal diseases like different types of ulcers,repeated bleeding of peptic ulcers, Mendelsohn’s syndrome. It also helps to kill pain in patients with reflux esophagitis.
Why Do Pharmaceutical Companies Recall the Production of Zantac?
Canadian and American online drugstores have sold Zantac over the counter since 2017. Its main component is Ranitidine that has many generic versions all over the world. The druggists often offered that drug as an effective heartburn medicine. Sanofi was forced to stop the manufacturing of Zantac because of its contaminated composition.
The regulators of the healthcare system in Europe and the United States of America have tested pills trying to check their efficacy and safety. It turned out that the famous Ranitidine-based drug contained a substance that caused cancer. It was N-nitrosodimethylamine that appears after some processes in industry and purifying of water with the help of chlorination.
It is not a single case of NDMA usage. The FDA and EPA have found it not only in Zantac but also in Valsartan. The second drug has nothing to do with an increased level of stomach acid. It treats hypertension but its manufacturers have also to stop the production because of illegal change of the components.
A single dose of NDMA will not hurt but its systematic intake can lead to serious negative consequences like cancer of different organs in the organism and leukemia. The FDA has asked the manufacturers to conduct research and find out the level of a harmful substance in a pill. Now, famous pharmaceutical companies including Novartis and Sanofi, have stopped the distribution and sale of the drug. They test pills to collect information. Canadian pharmacies refused to sell the product as well until drug-makers prove the safety of Zantac. Some online pharmacies, in particular, Canadian pharmacy, take one step further and run every item on their formulary through a multiple checkpoint system before offering the medications to customers.
What Canadian Pharmacies Offer Affordable Zantac Analogs?
Today the Internet is full of offers. One can buy different products online but risk to get low-quality things because a person cannot touch, smell, taste, and see them. It is very dangerous to purchase medicine in a drugstore with a bad reputation. What are online drugstores one can trust to?
- First of all, one should pay attention to testimonials, prices, and online consultants.
- Too cheap or almost free products are the sign of placebo or poor quality drugs.
- The feedback that sounds unnatural or lack of testimonial page stands for the tarnished reputation
- Online consultants are to be professional, speak clearly, and be experts.
Second, the web page must contain the copyright sign because drugstores are not manufacturers. They copy the information about drugs and post it to let their customers learn more about the product. This sign gives them such an opportunity. Due to that, they sell their products legally and can deal with retailers and wholesalers.
Third, a trustworthy drugstore has terms and conditions. It says that it is not a consultation center and it does not prescribe or suggest drugs. Its job is to take the order and deliver it. Moreover, the order form must be simple and inform about all taxes, shipping details, possible discounts, and fees (if there are any).
Finally, a reliable drugstore collaborates with FDA products only. It is transparent to their clients and has a page that contains contact information and About Us data.
What Analogs Can One Find in Canadian Pharmacies?
Gastric diseases cause pain and lead to serious complications. Improper metabolism provokes poor nutrition and the whole body does not receive all the required vitamins and minerals. That is why people should not stop treatment. Due to that, various pharmacological companies produce drugs with different components. Today it is not safe to take Zantac and other Ranitidine-based medicine but a health advisor can prescribe other drugs that treat the same health problems. These are TOP 5 Canadian Pharmacy alternatives to the recalled drug.
- Nexium
- Apo-Pantoprazole
- Prevacid
- Prilosec
- Protonix
None of the above-mentioned products include Ranitidine as the main component. This table reflects the main similarities and differences of the presented drugs.
| Things to Compare | Nexium | Apo-Pantoprazole | Prevacid | Prilosec | Protonix |
| Main component | Esomeprazole | Pantoprazole | Lansoprazole | Omeprazole | Pantoprazole |
| What does it treat? | Conditions like in the case of Zantac + inflammation caused by H. pylori. | All diseases that Zantac treats + inflammation caused by H. pylori. | Similar to Zantac | The same conditions as Zantac + Barett’s esophagus and deals with problems caused by H. pylori | Health disorders similar to Zantac’s |
| Availability | RX and OTC | Brand (prescription only), generics (OTC or prescription) | OTC + RX | OTC + Prescription | OTC + Prescription |
One can see that all of the above-mentioned drugs can cope with the same health problems as Zantac. The only disadvantage is the price. Comparing prices on various websites, Zantac was the cheapest drug and Prilosec is the most expensive drug. Nevertheless, they do not contain Ranitidine and meet FDA requirements and international healthcare standards.