Zantac (ranitidine) is a popular drug used to treat heartburn, ulcers of the stomach and intestines, and other problems. More than 15 million people have Zantac prescriptions, and many more use over-the-counter ranitidine medications.
Preliminary testing in 2019 revealed the presence of the carcinogen N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in Zantac and other ranitidine medications. But an ongoing investigation found that levels of NDMA increase over time within the medication and as temperatures increase. The FDA noted that consumers should stop taking over-the-counter ranitidine medications and that patients with ranitidine prescriptions should speak with their health care provider about other treatment options before stopping.
In February 2020, multidistrict litigation (MDL) was filed in South Florida court on behalf of people who were diagnosed with cancer after taking Zantac. Fifteen plaintiffs were consolidated into the MDL. More than 100 Zantac lawsuits are pending nationwide.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is requesting manufacturers widhdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market immediately. This is the latest step in an ongoing investigation of a contaminant known as N-Nitrozodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine medications (commonly known as the brand name Zantac)
Analysts had suggested cases in California, not only the Goetz case, would have cost GSK 'low hundreds of millions' of dollars to settle. GSK (GSK.L) agreed to settle a U.S. lawsuit alleging its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, the British drugmaker said on Friday, preventing the first such case from going to trial next month. The company had said it had reached a confidential deal with California resident James Goetz who alleged he developed bladder cancer from taking the drug. The trial was due to start on July 24, and would have been the first test of how Zantac cancer claims would fare before a jury. The deal could set a precedent for thousands of cases set to go to trial next year.
Some people who have routinely used Zantac and other ranitidine medications have been diagnosed with cancer. The primary types of cancer linked to Zantac use include:
Abdominal
Bladder
Brain
Breast
Colon
Colorectal
Esophageal / Throat / Nose
Gastric / Stomach
Intestinal
Kidney
Liver
Lung
Multiple Myeloma
Non Hodgkins Lymphoma
Ovarian
Pancreatic
Testicular
Thyroid
Uterine
Other
Zantac's manufacturer, Sonofi, had the obligation to warn users of the drug's possibly harmful side effects, but it waited until after the FDA conducted research on it and advised of it's health risks.
1
You may be entitled to compensation for past and future medical bills related to the use of Zantac and subsequent Cancer Diagnosis.
2
Lost wages may be recovered in a Zantac Lawsuit for actual and potential past or future earnings.
3
You may be entitled to compensation for Mental Pain and anguish due to the toll that cancer causes in a Zantac Lawsuit
4
Suffering Zantac (ranitidine) related cancer is the ultimate price for you or your loved one. You may be able to recover damages for suffering within a Zantac Lawsuit.
On September 13, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported the discovery of the carcinogenic contaminant N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in Zantac (ranitidine), a common heartburn medication available in both prescription and over-the-counter versions.
In April of 2020, the FDA announced that all Zantac brand heartburn drugs, prescription and over-the-counter, should be immediately pulled from the market because of potential NDMA contamination, a chemical linked to cancer.
The first Zantac lawsuit was filed in California in 2019. In that lawsuit, the plaintiffs accuse drugmakers Sanofi and Boerhringer Ingelheim of manufacturing, marketing, and selling a product they knew or should have known had been contaminated with an industrial chemical known to cause cancer.
The exact cause of the NDMA contamination is still under investigation. However, during the period in which Boerhinger Ingelheim and Sanofi manufactured and marketed Zantac, scientific research demonstrated a clear link between ranitidine, the active ingredient in Zantac, and NDMA. Specifically, when ranitidine comes in contact with water, it creates a chemical reaction that causes the formation of NDMA.
Despite the availability of this information, the drugmakers chose not to disclose this risk to the government or to consumers.
Lawsuits argue that as far back as 1981, drugmakers were aware of several studies pointing to the dangers of NDMA formation with Zantac. The studies found that the potential of forming NDMA increases when ranitidine makes contact with nitrite in the body, according to a lawsuit filed by Michael and Deborah Combs.
The Comb's complaint list other more recent studies that connect ranitidine to NDMA formation. One 2011 study by Ruquao Shen and Susan A. Andrews observed that ranitidine could form NDMA when exposed to drinking water disinfected with Chlorine.
Another cited study from 2016 by Teng Zend and William A. Mitch found evidence suggesting ranitidine could form NDMA when combined with nitrite in "stomach relevant pH conditions." They also found NDMA excreted in the urine over a 24-hour period after taking ranitidine "increased 400-folds from 110 to 47 600ng, while totla N-nitrosamines increased 5-folds."
Despite this information, lawsuits say drugmakers failed to warn the public.
Law Without Justice
Is A Wound Without A Cure
