People who have developed cancer after taking Zantac are now suing the manufacturer. Across the United States, hundreds of plaintiffs are claiming the drug has caused their disease. The medication, which has been commonly used to treat heartburn, is now under fire.
If you have taken Zantac or ranitidine and developed cancer afterward, contact your lawyer. You may join a Zantac lawsuit and receive compensation. The first bellwether trials are expected to take place in late 2021.
How It All Started
Zantac has been popular since the early 1980s. In 1988, it became one of the first medications to garner $1 billion of annual sales. The demand remained high until the US Food And Drug Administration issued its warning in September 2019.
The move was prompted by lab results provided by Valisure, an online pharmacy. These indicated the presence of NDMA (N-Nitrosodimethylamine) at unacceptably high levels. This compound is classified as a probable carcinogen.
NDMA content in some batches of Zantac and ranitidine were unsafe. The acceptable daily consumption level, according to the FDA, is 96 nanograms. The samples in question contained over 3,000,000 ng. After the official warning, voluntary recalls by 15 manufacturers, including Sanofi, ensued.
Later, in April 2020, the FDA took further steps and requested a withdrawal from all manufacturers of ranitidine. It announced that the levels of the compound grew during storage. This also happened due to exposure to higher than room temperatures.
It must be noted that scientific evidence is still inconclusive. The fact that high NDMA content was found at higher than normal temperatures makes the findings controversial. Still, some studies point to a link between ranitidine and excessive NDMA.
In a study published in JAMA Network Open in January 2021, researchers simulated the stomach environment to see if NDMA levels rise inside the human body. The experiment showed that as much as 10,000 ng of NDMA may be found in simulated gastric conditions. This conclusion supports a clinical study based on urine sample analysis. After the participants took Ranitidine, their NDMA levels gradually grew to over 40,000 ng.
Wave of Lawsuits
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed to date, and more are expected in the future. The plaintiffs claim the manufacturers were aware of the possible dangers in 1981 but chose profits over public health. According to the lawsuits, the formation of NDMA at unsafe levels has been known for years.
In the early 1980s, some studies suggested a link between Ranitidine and the formation of nitroso compounds that cause cancer. However, no definite conclusion regarding humans has been made to date. The available research only shows a connection between the drug and cancer in animals.
Do I Qualify for a Lawsuit?
Mass tort lawsuits are accepted from patients with various types of cancer. According to lawyers, you need to have taken the drug for over a year, which must be confirmed by medical records or receipts. Here are some of the accepted cancer types:
● bladder;
● stomach;
● colon;
● kidney;
● breast;
● ovarian;
● esophageal;
● liver;
● melanoma;
● prostate.
The more Ranitidine or Zantac you have taken — the stronger the potential causation. It is now known that some patients had no family history or generic markers to explain their cancer. These cases are the most convincing.
Apply for a case review today and see if you qualify. Over 500 lawsuits had already been filed by the fall of 2020. The bellwether trials will establish the possible size of compensation, which will also depend on the type of cancer and the related damages.
