Summary of the Zantac Lawsuit:
- Who: A Delaware judge has given the go-ahead for more than 70,000 lawsuits filed against Zantac’s makers GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim to proceed.
- why: The judge ruled that the plaintiffs’ evidence was valid and that their claims that Zantac caused their cancer merited evaluation by a jury.
- where: The decision was handed down in Delaware Superior Court.
- How to get help: Consumers or their loved ones who have been diagnosed with certain cancers after taking Zantac or Ranitidine: Free Zantac Cancer Lawsuit Investigation.
A Delaware judge has ruled that more than 70,000 lawsuits alleging that the discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer can proceed.
The judge found that the evidence presented was valid and that the plaintiff’s claims merited a jury review. According to the Litigation Information Center.
The complaint was filed against Zantac’s former manufacturers: pharmaceutical companies GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim. Reuters Reports.
The drug companies reportedly argued that the opinions of experts allowed to testify lacked scientific support.
GSK, Pfizer and Sanofi each issued statements saying they disagreed with the judge’s decision, there was no credible evidence that Zantac caused cancer and they planned to appeal, according to Reuters.
Lawsuit claims ranitidine in Zantac breaks down into cancer-causing chemicals
Some manufacturers and pharmacies reportedly stopped selling Zantac in 2019 after the cancer-causing chemical NDMA was found in some tablets.
Complaints quickly arose against Zantac’s makers, with consumers who claimed they had developed cancer alleging that the drug company knew or should have known that the drug’s active ingredient, ranitidine, could cause cancer, according to Reuters.
According to the lawsuit, NDMA in Zantac comes from the breakdown of ranitidine, which can break down into carcinogenic chemicals over time and when exposed to heat.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ultimately asked Zantac’s makers to pull the drug from the market in 2020, according to Reuters.
Pfizer previously Settlement of over 10,000 lawsuits agreed upon Last month, a lawsuit was filed alleging that Zantac causes cancer. Sanofi An undisclosed settlement was reached There were 4,000 personal injury claims related to Zantac in April.
The settled claims were pending litigation in several state courts across the United States, separate from the claims filed in Delaware. The current lawsuit may be the last chance to sue Zantac for cancer.
Did you or a loved one develop cancer after taking the now-discontinued heartburn drug Zantac? Let us know in the comments.
Additional information about class actions and class action settlements:
