27 Sept 2023 • Ranitidine, a histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA), has been widely used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcer disease in the past. In September 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that some ranitidine medicines contained N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a known human carcinogen.4,5 In April 2020, the FDA requested manufacturers to withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter ranitidine-containing drugs. However, the risk of cancer among individuals who used NDMA-contaminated ranitidine has not been fully evaluated. Hence, a large-scale, multinational, multicenter cohort study was conducted to determine whether ranitidine use was associated with increased cancer risk.

• The cohort study involved over 1.1 million individuals from 11 different databases across the world
• The primary outcome was incidence of any cancer, except nonmelanoma skin cancer. Secondary outcomes included all cancer except thyroid cancer, 16 cancer subtypes, and all-cause mortality.
• The main objective was to compare the use of ranitidine vs other H2RAs (famotidine, lafutidine, nizatidine, and roxatidine).
• The study found that there was no significant difference in the risk of cancer between individuals who used ranitidine and those who used other H2RAs like famotidine, lafutidine, nizatidine, and roxatidine.
• The analysis showed that the incidence rates of cancer were similar between the two groups, suggesting that a history of ranitidine use did not increase the risk of cancer.

However, the study authors have emphasized the need for further research to understand the potential long-term effects of ranitidine on cancer development.

Source: JAMA | Read full story