Doha: The Ministry of Public Health said in a statement that it is in contact with international regulatory bodies to follow up on developments regarding the safety of medicines containing metformin, also known as glucophage, which is used in treatment of diabetes, in order to verify that it doesn't contain N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which may be carcinogenic if present in high levels.
The Ministry said that it has taken samples of all medicines containing metformin, from public and private sectors, to carry out analysis in its laboratories.
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have reported that all the products sold in US and European countries are safe as the levels found were within the range that is naturally occurring in some foods and in water.
NDMA and other nitrosamines are formed in the body naturally as food and drugs are processed, so are not dangerous at low levels, a statement from FDA said
In this context, the Ministry said in its statement that majority of the medicines containing metformin available in Qatar come from European countries or US.
The Ministry recommended that patients who use these medicines continue to use them as the risk of stopping the use of diabetes treatment greatly exceeds the potential effects of low levels of impure substance like NDMA and patients should continue to monitor their health with health care providers.
FDA also said in a statement that type 2 diabetes patients should continue taking metformin when clinically appropriate, as there are no alternative medications treating diabetes in the same way.