Is There a Class Action Lawsuit Against Zantac?
It is no longer news that Zantac (ranitidine) has been linked to cancer. Recent lawsuits against Zantac manufacturers claim the drug contains a cancer-causing chemical called N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).
What Is Zantac?
Chemically known as ranitidine hydrochloride, Zantac belongs to a class of drugs called histamine H2-receptor antagonists (or H2 blockers), which decrease the amount of acid produced by the stomach. Zantac is a very popular antacid medication that has been on the market since the early 1980s, available both over the counter and by prescription. Zantac is commonly used to treat problems like acid reflux, heartburn, and other stomach, throat, and gastrointestinal issues. Zantac is also used for allergies to supplement their treatment regimen.
Zantac dosage varies between 75 and 150 mg tablets, though some patients take a once-daily Zantac 300 mg dosage.
Zantac’s Downside
Zantac has been recalled due to concerns that an ingredient in the medication may cause cancer.
Numerous studies have demonstrated a link between the NDMA in Zantac and cancer since as early as the 1980s. There is also substantial evidence that allegedly proves that Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim, the big pharma company that produces Zantac, hid the cancer link from the millions of people who use the drug. This deception occurred as companies accumulated substantial profits from Zantac, as it is the first drug ever to generate $1 billion in sales.
Zantac in the News
In 2019, an independent lab discovered excessive levels of a known-carcinogen (NDMA or N-nitroso dimethylamine) in its testing of batches of ranitidine. This got to the attention of the FDA after the testing lab and some manufacturers issued safety alerts and recall about the potential cancer risk, while many retailers pulled the drugs from their stores.
The FDA performed an initial test in 2019 but they were unable to confirm the presence of excessive levels of NDMA, but subsequent testing has found excessive levels of the cancer-causing ingredient. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on September 13th, 2019 that they would be investigating the risks of getting cancer when taking Zantac. This decision was made after a routine test of Zantac 150 mg tablets revealed that the heartburn medication contains NDMA at levels up to 3,000 times the FDA recommended daily intake limit.
To make things worse, they discovered that, ?the impurity in some ranitidine products increases over time and when stored at higher than room temperatures and may result in consumer exposure to unacceptable levels of this impurity.
Before the FDA market withdrew ranitidine, numerous manufacturers issued generic Zantac recalls on their own. Several filed citizen petitions with the FDA, and requested http://www.aipa.com.au/cialis-online/ that they suspend all sales and issue a Zantac recall.
Zantac Recall
In April of 2020, the FDA called for a formal recall of both Zantac and ranitidine in order to prevent the drug from causing more damage.
Retailers like CVS and Walgreens pulled Zantac and Zantac over-the-counter generics from their shelves. Both pharmacy companies made public statements noting that consumers who purchased the drugs were eligible for refunds. Generic drug makers have also recalled their ranitidine hydrochloride products.
In October of 2019, Sanofi announced a Zantac recall of its own in the United States and Canada. At least 22 countries have either banned, halted shipment or recalled ranitidine. Four other countries issued warnings and launched their own investigations.
As far back as 2018, several companies issued recalls for blood pressure medications that contained levels of NDMA that exceeded the FDA recommendations. When we compare the levels of NDMA included in Zantac, it far exceeds the levels found in these products.
Cancer Lawsuit
Numerous lawsuits from around the country have been filed by injured patients and are being coordinated before a federal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida. See, for example, the Barrow Law Firm Zantac lawsuit. It is anticipated that thousands of additional individual lawsuits will be filed in the future in these coordinated proceedings (known as MDL No. 2924- In Re: Zantac [Ranitidine] Products Liability Litigation) on behalf of patients that have been injured or died due to cancers of the bladder, kidney, pancreas, stomach, rectum, or colon following their chronic use of Zantac and/or ranitidine.
Who can File a Zantac Lawsuit
If you or a family member took Zantac and were subsequently diagnosed with some form of cancer, you may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the manufacturers of Zantac/Zantac over the counter. This allows affected individuals to obtain the maximum possible compensation for their injuries.
If you took Zantac but never developed cancer, you could still seek compensation by filing a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturers of Zantac.
A class-action lawsuit can be filed on behalf of anyone who purchased Zantac and wants to hold the makers accountable for profiting from misleading information.
In a class-action lawsuit, plaintiffs will not be required to prove that they were harmed, they will only be required to prove that they purchased the drug without being aware of the potential risks. Such plaintiffs will be able to claim that they suffered economic losses because they purchased the drug believing that it was safe and would not have made that purchase if they had known about its possible life-threatening adverse effects.
