A report claims that a generic version of the common cold and allergy medicine Mucinex contains a cancer-causing chemical.

Retail shops such as CVS, Target, Walmart, and Walgreens sell the generic version as an in-store brand.

“Benzene, a colorless, flammable liquid that has been used to make plastics, synthetic fibers, household cleaners, gasoline and rubber, has been linked to diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma,” the New York Post noted.

From the New York Post:

The brand-name version of Mucinex, which is sold by British pharmaceutical giant Reckitt Benckiser Group, uses a white powder called carbomer, which creates the extended-release effect that helps ease symptoms over a 12-hour period, as an inactive ingredient that does not contain benzene.

But an analysis by Bloomberg News found that the carbomer used to make the generic versions sold by the large retail pharmacies in the US does indeed contain benzene.

All of the four major chains source the medicine from Amneal Pharmaceuticals, a New Jersey-based company, according to Bloomberg News.

“Patient safety has always been Amneal’s highest priority, underscored by our decades-long track record of industry-leading quality,” an Amneal spokesperson told the New York Post.

“Our guaifenesin products are manufactured in accordance with all FDA prescribed limits as well as more stringent company limits,” the spokesperson added.

Per Becker’s Hospital Review:

Carbomers — which are thickening agents — used for the extended-release versions of the cold medicine might contain benzene, according to a Bloomberg analysis of government data. The chemical appears in multiple products — including dyes, detergents and some plastics — and prolonged exposure can cause leukemia and lymphoma.

The FDA has warned drugmakers about the risk of benzene contamination, and multiple recalls followed. By 2026, the United States Pharmacopeia plans to omit carbomers that are manufactured with benzene, Bloomberg reported.

Other than guaifenesin, the news outlet found about a dozen medications that contain carbomers made using benzene.

CVS said it is working with its supplier to replace the ingredient, Walgreens said it is working with suppliers to follow FDA regulations, and Walmart, Target and Rite Aid did not respond to Bloomberg’s requests for comment.

 

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