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Jersey is experiencing a shortage in medication used to treat over 1,700 islanders for stomach ulcers and acid reflux after supplies were quarantined when a potentially cancer-causing substance was found within the drugs.
Health officials said this morning that the contaminant - believed to be a carcinogen - was discovered by regulators within a supply of ranitidine.
They reassured that the drug was "quarantined at the time of production and has not made it into general circulation", noting that local doctors and pharmacists have been "notified of the issue and given guidance on how to manage the shortage".
They also maintained that "alternatives are available" for regular ranitidine users, who are advised to contact their GPs for review.
"Some patients who have been taking the drug for a long time may be able to stop taking a medicine altogether, while others may be able to be prescribed an alternative drug," a statement read.
The news comes after popular heartburn drug Zantac was recalled in Canada and France.
US authorities called for Zantac to be pulled off pharmacy and store shelves as they began further investigations into its potential links to cancer last month.
The European Union is also investigating.
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