Blood Pressure Medications may Increase Cancer Risk

According to a new study, some anti-hypertension medications, including those produced by popular brands like Novartis AG, Merck & Co and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, are linked to heightened cancer risk.

The study, which the Lancet Oncology medical journal published online, warned that there is not enough data that can gauge the exact cancer risk. The researchers did state that further investigations should be done for this issue is alarming.

Researchers looked at blood pressure drugs called angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), which are recommended for patients with heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetic nephropathy. These drugs include Novartis’ Diovan and Merck’s Cozaar, although much of the data was gathered from the examination on the drug telmisartan, which is marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim under the name Micardis.

Boehringer Ingelheim, however, defended the safety of their product, saying that internal safety studies and clinical trials contradict the findings.

Furthermore, researchers from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio looked at previous reports on ARBs. The researchers also inspected recent data gathered from five trials that involved over 61,500 cancer patients, five other trials that involved more than 68,000 cancer patients, as well as cancer deaths in eight trials that involved over 93,500 patients.

The scientists found that up to 85.7% of the patients from all trials took ARB telmisartan.