Recall News: Zantac, J&J Baby Powder

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Two product recalls received widespread media attention over the weekend.

First, over-the-counter Zantac (ranitidine) is being recalled in the U.S. and Canada because of potential contamination with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen. NDMA was first reported in some ranitidine products in September. Zantac's manufacturer, Sanofi, says "evaluations are ongoing," and "due to inconsistencies in preliminary test results," the products are being recalled voluntarily during the investigation.

Next, Johnson & Johnson Consumer recalled one lot of baby powder after FDA testing identified "sub-trace levels of chrysotile asbestos contamination (no greater than 0.00002%) in samples from a single bottle purchased from an online retailer." The affected lot, #22318RB, includes 33,000 bottles of the powder, according to Reuters. The company says it's working together with the FDA "to determine the integrity of the tested sample."