California May Recognize Popular Medicines as Carcinogens: Drug List - ForumDaily
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California May Recognize Popular Medicines as Carcinogens: Drug List

The ingredient is contained in such well-known brands as Tylenol, Excedrin, Sudafed, Robitussin and Theraflu, writes Fox Business.

Фото: Depositphotos

In California, there is a battle to classify one of the world's most common over-the-counter drugs as a carcinogen, the same kind of high-profile battles recently fought over alcohol and coffee.

The drug is acetaminophen, known outside the US as paracetamol, and is used universally to treat pain and fever. This is the basis for more than 600 prescription and over-the-counter drugs for adults and children.

State law, known as Proposition 65, states that California should alert people to any chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. The state list has expanded to 900 chemicals, including toxic pesticides and flame retardants, and has become more extensive than any such list in the United States. Some critics say California regulators are too zealous for warning labels for countless products that are misleading rather than inform consumers about the controversial cancer risk.

On the subject: Ominous paracetamol and other pills: how popular drugs affect our lives

Proponents of Proposition 65 say that it protects not only Californians, but also consumers across the country, forcing manufacturers to increase product safety.

Evidence linking acetaminophen to cancer was weak enough that the International Agency for Research on Cancer declined to list it as a possible carcinogen after reviews in 1990 and 1999. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned state officials that labeling acetaminophen as causing cancer would be “false and misleading” and illegal under federal law.

A group of scientists appointed by the governor may add other chemicals to this list. In 2011, the commission voted to make acetaminophen “high priority” for consideration because, according to Sam Delson, a representative of the California Bureau of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, there was relevant evidence.

Acetaminophen has been available in the U.S. without a prescription since 1955. Concerns about its potential association with cancer are related to its relationship to another drug: phenacetin. This medicine, once common for treating headaches and other illnesses, was banned by the FDA in 1983 because it actually caused cancer.

State regulators reviewed 133 studies on acetaminophen, all of which were published in peer-reviewed journals. Some studies reported an increased risk of some types of cancer, while others did not. Overall, the review noted that acetaminophen is difficult to study because it is difficult to isolate from other variables that may contribute to cancer development, such as smoking.

Adding a chemical to the list can have wide-ranging consequences. After the state listed glyphosate—commonly known as the “Roundup weed killer”—as a carcinogen in 2017, the commission ordered the fertilizer maker to pay a cancer-stricken California couple more than $2 billion. A judge later reduced the amount to $87 million. This is just one of approximately 13 pending lawsuits involving the chemical.

This is one of the reasons why the industry seeks to delay the potential listing of the drug on the list. The Consumer Health Products Association conducted its own review and found that most studies did not suggest a risk for most forms of cancer, although some studies did show an increased risk of developing kidney, liver, and some forms of blood cancer.

The association called on California regulators to "carefully interpret" studies that show an increased risk of cancer.

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Some California listings require warning labels. But the staff made exceptions. Alcohol has been on the list of carcinogens since 1988. But instead of warning labels, the state directs California retailers to report where alcohol is sold.

Acrylmide, a by-product of roasting coffee beans, has been listed as a carcinogen since 1990. But when a court decision could lead to coffee warning signs, state regulators intervened and removed the drink from the list.

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