Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has indicated that the results of laboratory analysis conducted on samples of all pharmaceutical preparations containing metformin available in the public and private sectors in the State of Qatar have proven to be safe and free from the N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).

This comes in the framework of the continuous follow-up by the MOPH from what is issued by international organizations and regulatory bodies, as well as after receiving information from the American Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency stating that initial analysis of drugs containing metformin revealed that some of these drugs contain the NDMA substance at higher levels than the permitted rates and that this substance is considered among the potentially carcinogenic substances.

It is noteworthy that Metformin is a drug used to treat diabetes and its trade name is registered as Glucophage, while NDMA is present in nature but in small and safe proportions.

The MoPH recommended that patients with diabetes continue to use these preparations and not to drop them in order to treat diabetes, as well as to continue to monitor their health with doctors and health care providers.