FDA finds no cancer link with blood pressure pills

(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration says there is no link between a popular group of blood pressure medications and cancer, despite a recent paper suggesting a slightly higher risk in patients taking the drugs.

In an analysis of 60,000 patients published last summer, experts found a link between people taking medicines known as angiotensin-receptor blockers and cancer. The drugs are taken by millions of people worldwide for conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetic kidney disease.

But the FDA says its own review of 31 studies involving 155,000 patients did not show any relationship between the drugs and cancer. The review is the largest of its kind, according to the FDA

The drugs are sold under brand names including Diovan, Micardis and Avapro.