Zantac Lawsuit: What to Know

Zantac lawsuits are being filed because people were getting sick from taking the medication. The health issues that were linked to Zantac include cancer and other diseases. Learn more about recent updates to the Zantac litigation here.

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Zantac Lawsuit: What to Know

Are you or someone you know taking Zantac? Then beware, as Zantac contains a known human carcinogen that has affected thousands of people with cancer. In this article, you’ll learn about the Zantac lawsuit, the known health issues, and if you qualify to receive compensation.

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Why Were Lawsuits Being Filed Against Zantac?

Zantac is the brand name of a product with the active ingredient, ranitidine, which is used to decrease stomach acid production. Its medical use is common in treating acid reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn, and gastric ulcers.

However, due to suspicion that the drug was contaminated with a carcinogenic chemical called N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), Valisure, an independent testing laboratory, conducted testing and found very high levels of NDMA in Zantac tablets. They immediately suggested the FDA issue a recall of the tablets.

Then, again, on March 2, 2020, Valisure reported:

“…analysis of 22 companies selling metformin and a total of 38 batches revealed 16 batches and 11 companies where NDMA levels were detected above the 96 nanograms (ng) daily acceptable intake limit. Several batches contained over 10 times the daily acceptable intake limit and there was significant variability from batch to batch, even within a single company.”

Zantac was shown to contain ten times the acceptable amount of N-nitroso dimethylamine (NDMA), which is classified as a carcinogen capable of causing cancer in living tissue. Recent studies have linked NDMA to a higher risk of cancer, particularly those related to the gastrointestinal system.

In 2019, Zantac litigation began. It was Joseph L. Galimidi who boldly initiated legal action against Sanofi, the owners of Zantac since 2017, for their lack of transparency about Zantac’s potential cancer risks. He had been taking the drug since 2009 and subsequently developed breast cancer in 2013, an anomaly among men. Despite having ample time to investigate the link between Zantac and various cancers, he argued that Sanofi still neglected to inform consumers Zantac could be a dangerous drug.

Another lawsuit was filed on October 21, 2019, by Colorado resident Mark Allan Blake. He had taken prescription Zantac since 1996 and then switched to the OTC version of the drug, taking it four times a week. In 2018, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer and believed that the NDMA in Zantac caused it. The lawsuit claims that the drug manufacturers had known about the NDMA in Zantac and should have warned the public about it, but they failed to do so.

Thousands of other Zantac claims were filed by individuals diagnosed with cancer after using the medication. The claims in this Zantac class action lawsuit allege that manufacturers failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential risks of taking Zantac and also failed to alert consumers of the dangers posed by NDMA contamination.

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What Health Issues Were Linked to Zantac?

Most of the cancer claims filed in the Zantac lawsuits allege that individuals developed one of the following types of cancers:

  • Bladder cancer
  • Gastric/stomach cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Prostate cancer

People made numerous claims with no family history or hereditary traits of cancer, and their medical practitioners speculated that something in the environment must be to blame, presumably NDMA contamination.

Other medical conditions associated with Zantac use included in the lawsuits are Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) and Crohn’s disease. PPH is a lung disorder that causes high blood pressure in the lungs. At the same time, Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes the digestive tract to become inflamed.

Qualifications for a Zantac Lawsuit

Those seeking legal action against the makers of Zantac must meet specific requirements. To qualify for a Zantac lawsuit, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Taken Zantac minimally once per week (for at least one year before cancer diagnosis);
  • Got cancer within 20 years of taking Zantac;
  • Got cancer at 89 years old or younger; and
  • Have medical records or receipts proving you took Zantac.

If you meet these qualifications and believe that you or a loved one has become ill due to taking Zantac, you may be eligible to seek legal recourse with a law firm. This may be the only way to get a lawsuit settlement and help with any medical bills you have incurred. If you fit the criteria for a Zantac lawsuit, you’ll benefit from a pre-settlement loan to support you through your case.

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What Is the Current Status of the Zantac Lawsuits?

Judge Robin L. Rosenberg dismissed every Zantac lawsuit filed in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) class action on December 6, 2022. Her case evaluation was that the plaintiffs’ experts and lawyers had failed to present sound science to prove that Zantac causes cancer. She stated that the experts used “unreliable methodologies” to conclude that Zantac’s NDMA causes cancer. 

This effectively removed about 50,000 of the mass tort Zantac lawsuits from the multidistrict litigation, leaving roughly 2,000 cases in federal court waiting to be heard. Luckily, the 50,000 dismissed cases are still playing out in various state courts, with some scheduled for trial throughout 2023.

When Will the Zantac Lawsuit Be Settled?

Unfortunately, there is yet to be a clear timeline for a Zantac settlement payout. Due to Judge Robin L. Rosenberg’s dismissal of the Zantac MDL class action, there is no global settlement that Zantac claimants can expect to receive. 

Those with individual claims against manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies may still pursue them in state courts. However, it is still being determined when or if these Zantac cases will be resolved, or if they’ll ever be compensated for their personal injury.

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Does LawsuitLoans.io Provide Funding for Zantac Claims?

A lawsuit loan can be a great financial tool for plaintiffs involved in lengthy lawsuits. Unfortunately, LawsuitLoans.io does not provide funding for Zantac claims unless the plaintiff has received an individual offer to settle from the defense. 

Once the defense makes individual offers to settle on a class action claim, it may still take months for plaintiffs to be compensated. LawsuitLoans.io may be able to help bridge the gap between your settlement offer and compensation.

If you have already received an offer to settle your case and you are interested in funding, apply with us online or give us a call at (866) 594-1343.

Questions Others Are Asking

What kind of breast cancer is linked to Zantac?

According to a study by Pubmed, those who took Zantac were twice as likely to develop “ductal carcinoma,” a type of breast cancer, due to the generic ranitidine within it.

Who makes Zantac?

Zantac is manufactured by several drugmakers, including GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Appco Pharma LLC, and Precision Dose Inc. However, Roche Laboratories, Inc. and Glaxo Wellcome, Inc. are the top Zantac manufacturers globally.

Is Zantac back on the market in 2023?

Although there wasn’t an actual Zantac recall, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggested pulling it off the shelves and is unavailable on the market. To offset this, in 2021, Sanofi launched Zantac 360, a new over-the-counter product substitute for the former ranitidine medication. 

This new product contains famotidine instead, which is a common ingredient in other heartburn medications.

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