(Bloomberg) -- The maker of store-brand Mucinex sold by CVS, Walmart and others is reformulating its products to move away from an ingredient that is made with a cancer-causing chemical.
Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc. plans to submit testing data on its new formulation to the US Food and Drug Administration by the end of the year, the company said in a statement. The company expects to bring the products to market before August 2025.
Bloomberg reported Monday that, according to an analysis of government data, store-brand generic versions of extended-release Mucinex made by Amneal contain an ingredient called a carbomer that is made with the potent carcinogen benzene. Brand-name Mucinex, made by Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc, uses a carbomer without benzene.
Amneal said materials it purchases for its drugs undergo regular quality testing. The statement didn’t specify what that testing includes.
The drugmaker has contracts with CVS Health Corp., Walmart Inc., Target Corp., and Rite Aid Corp. to produce their store-brand versions of extended-release Mucinex.
US regulators have allowed drugmakers to use benzene for decades, even though international authorities have said they shouldn’t. In recent years, testing has found dangerously high levels of the chemical in some products in the US, raising concerns and prompting the FDA last year to push pharmaceutical companies to start phasing out the use of carbomers made with benzene.
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