We frequently believe that it is appropriate to care for ourselves at home when we have a mild illness. A drug called “Ranitidine” is frequently used in this condition to treat issues like acidity or gas. But if you’re doing it too, exercise caution. Because of its potential to cause cancer, the Central Government has removed the antacid salt ranitidine from the list of Essential Medicines. This list has had 26 medicines removed from it.
Let us inform you that ranitidine is primarily offered under the trade names Aciloc, Zinetac, and Rantac, and is frequently prescribed for issues with acidity and stomach pain.
26 medicines have been removed from the list
In reality, the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) was announced by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday. There are 384 medications in it. 26 medications that were removed from the list will also no longer be sold in local stores. This list contains these names.
| No. | Medicine Name |
| 1 | (Alteplase) |
| 2 | (Atenolol) |
| 3 | (Sucralfate) |
| 4 | (White Petrolatum) |
| 5 | (Stavudine (A) + Lamivudine) |
| 6 | (Rifabutin) |
| 7 | (Ranitidine) |
| 8 | (Procarbazine) |
| 9 | Prilocaine (A) + Lignocaine (B) |
| 10 | (Pentamidine) |
| 11 | pegylated interferon alpha 2a, pegylated interferon alpha 2b |
| 12 | (Nicotinamide) |
| 13 | (Methyldopa) |
| 14 | (Leflunomide) |
| 15 | Lamivudine (A) + Nevirapine (B) + Stavudine (C) |
| 16 | (Kanamycin) |
| 17 | (Ganciclovir) |
| 18 | (Ethinylestradiol(A) Norethisterone (B)) |
| 19 | (Ethinylestradiol) |
| 20 | (Erythromycin) |
| 21 | (Dimercaprol) |
| 22 | (Diloxanide furoate) |
| 23 | (Chlorpheniramine) |
| 24 | (Cetrimide) |
| 25 | (Capreomycin) |
| 26 | (Bleaching Powder) |
Drug prices may come down
Significantly, ranitidine is being looked into globally due to worries about cancer. Because of this, the Health Ministry and AIIMS have talked about removing it from the stock of necessities. Let us tell you that since the American Food and Medicine Administration stated in 2019 that the drug had the potential to cause cancer, an investigation has been ongoing.
In the meantime, prices of numerous highly sought-after medications, such as insulin glargine, which is used to treat diabetes, are projected to decrease in India as a result of the new list.