You may have heard that news that the popular heartburn medication, Zantac, and other generic forms of ranitidine have been linked to cancer. Individuals that developed cancer from the drug are now filing lawsuits against the manufacturers.
If you developed cancer or another health complication from taking Zantac or a ranitidine product, our firm can you pursue compensation against the drug’s manufacturer.
There are two claims as to why the manufacturers of Zantac should be held responsible in court:
- Defective Design
- Failure to Warn
The plaintiffs in these cases are suing for wrongful death, personal injury and, in some instances, punitive damages.
Defective Drugs
Medications are considered defective if the drug posed a foreseeable risk and a person was harmed from taking the drug as intended. Defective drugs are inherently dangerous because of the chemical used purposefully within it. Zantac manufacturers used ranitidine within the formula, even with scientific knowledge that the medication had high levels of a probable human carcinogen called N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
Improper Labeling and Failure to Warn
Like all medications, Zantac comes with a warning label that is supposed to list all possible side effects of adverse health conditions.
However, the label for Zantac fails to mention a carcinogen within the drug or the possibility that the user may develop cancer. In fact, the label even omits any NDMA-related information.
If doctors had known about the potential cancer-causing risks of the medication, some may indeed have not recommended it to their patients. Likewise, if the general public had known about carcinogens within Zantac, some may have opted not to take the drug. However, under either scenario, consumers were not warned of the potentially serious dangers of taking Zantac, so they were not provided the information necessary to make an informed decision regarding their health.
Ranitidine Manufacturers
More than a dozen manufacturers of other ranitidine products have recalled their products, including:
- Sandoz
- Apotex
- Perrigo Company PLC
- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.
- Lannett Company Inc.
- Novitium Pharma LLC
- Aurobindo Pharma USA
- American Health Packaging
- Golden State Medical Supply Inc.
- Precision Dose Inc.
- Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
- Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc.
- Denton Pharma dba Northwind Pharmaceuticals
- Appco Pharma LLC
If you took a ranitidine medication from one of these companies and have been diagnosed with cancer, make sure you understand your rights. All products with ranitidine have been recalled, so you should either stop taking the medication or get in touch with your doctor to find an alternative.
6 More Things You Should Know About Zantac Lawsuits
- When Zantac was made: Ranitidine was first manufactured in 1977 in Britain, and Zantac was approved by the FDA and hit the marketplace in 1983. Within five years, it was the number one pharmaceutical drug in the world. The original GSK-held patent for Zantac ended in 1997, allowing competitors to make their own ranitidine drugs. In 2004, the first nonprescription Zantac medication became available, produced by Pfizer.
- What Zantac does: Zantac is a histamine receptor blocker, which lowers the amount of acid your stomach will produce while the drug’s effects are active. It is not technically a proton pump inhibitor (PPI).
- Why Zantac can be dangerous: A September 2019 study by Valisure discovered that taking a single tablet of Zantac could cause the production of 3 million nanograms of NDMA in the user. The FDA believes that exposure to more than 96 nanograms of NDMA a day could significantly increase the risk of cancer. The FDA later conducted its own tests that concluded that the potentially unsafe NDMA production only occurred while Zantac was in the stomach.
- Why Zantac was recalled: In April 2020, the FDA asked that ranitidine manufacturers voluntarily recall those products, including Zantac. The recall began after FDA researchers grew concerned that Zantac stores in hot environments could pose an even greater NDMA exposure risk.
- Who is suing Zantac manufacturers: Shortly after Valisure first released the results of its independent study, a class action against Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim – the two most prominent manufacturers of Zantac products – was filed in the Northern District Court of California. About half a year later, the total number of lawsuits and class actions filed had reached nearly 250. Essentially, anyone who has used Zantac for an extended period of time should be considering bringing a claim against these manufacturers.
- Who can help plaintiff claims: Gastrointestinal oncologists have been consulted to act as expert witnesses for Zantac lawsuit plaintiff claims. Specialists from this field of medicine can give detailed explanations as to how the stomach and intestines are affected by NDMA exposure.
Contact a Zantac Cancer Lawyers
There is really no price that you can put on someone’s health, safety, and future wellbeing. If you developed cancer as a result of taking Zantac, we understand that no amount of compensation can undo the damage done.
Our attorneys are dedicated to holding companies accountable for concealing the true dangers of defective products. Trust in our attorneys to be your legal advocates to obtain compensation for damages caused by Zantac.
Contact McNabola & Associates at (312) 888-8700 to get started on your Zantac case today.