Humana sues Teva over recalled blood pressure drugs

Humana filed a lawsuit against Teva Pharmaceuticals over its sale of since-recalled blood pressure medication that contained carcinogenic substances.

In 2018, the FDA said it was recalling valsartan medications because of their contamination with cancer-causing substances. Teva voluntarily recalled its valsartan drugs in 2018 for products distributed as early as October 2015.

In its lawsuit, filed Aug. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Humana aims to recover "substantial" costs the insurer said it incurred from recalling and replacing Teva's generic blood pressure medication for members. Humana said the valsartan-containing drugs had high levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA, a cancer-causing chemical when ingested at high levels.

Becker's reached out to Teva for comment on the lawsuit. This article will be updated as more information becomes available. 

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