NATIONWIDE -- The Food and Drug Administration announced a voluntary recall for a drug used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.

The agency says there is a voluntary recall of drug products containing valsartan which is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. They say some medications contain an impurity classified as a probable carcinogen which is a substance that can cause cancer.

Information for Patients and Health Care Professionals from the FDA:

• Because valsartan is used in medicines to treat serious medical conditions, patients taking the recalled valsartan-containing medicines should continue taking their medicine until they have a replacement product.

• To determine whether a specific product has been recalled, patients should look at the drug name and company name on the label of their prescription bottle. If the information is not on the bottle, patients should contact the pharmacy that dispensed the medicine.

• If a patient is taking one of the recalled medicines listed below, they should follow the recall instructions provided by the specific company. This information will be posted to the FDA’s website.

• Patients should also contact their health care professional (the pharmacist who dispensed the medication or doctor who prescribed the medication) if their medicine is included in this recall to discuss their treatment, which may include another valsartan product not affected by this recall or an alternative treatment option.

For more information about this recall, click here.