Ranitidine , a popular antacid in India, was omitted from the National List of Essential Medicines (NELM) on the 13 th of September, 2022. Its sale in the international market remains suspended since 2020 by major drug regulators worldwide, including the USFDA and EMA. The ban is due to the presence of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine (USFDA, 2019) , a potential carcinogen . NDMA is commonly used to induce tumors in animals for research purposes. However, despite the known risk of ranitidine and the international ban on its usage, there has just been a 2% dip in the drug’s sales in India in the last year.
Ranitidine continues to be an easily available and economical over-the-counter drug in India! ##Reference## White CM. Ranitidine’s N-nitrosodimethylamine Problem May be Tip of the Iceberg. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(1):e2035158.## Why are we still prescribing ranitidine?
