A HIV drug has been recalled after it was found to contain higher than normal levels of a chemical that can cause cancer, its makers said yesterday.
The drug, called Viracept (nelfinavir), was being used by about 18 patients in the Republic, the Irish Medicines Board said.
The drug was also recalled from all EU countries by the European Medicines Agency.
The contamination of the drug was discovered after some patients reported a strange odour coming from their supplies, which come in powder and tablet form.
William Burns, chief executive of Roche's pharmaceutical division, said the contamination was caused by interaction between two chemicals, one of them a cleaner, in a vessel in which the product was made.
The drug, as a result, contained higher than normal quantities of methane sulfonic acid ethyl ester.
Patients on the drug should contact their doctor immediately as they will have to change to an alternative medicine.