Zantac Lawsuit Update: March 2022

• Bladder
• Stomach/Gastric
• Esophageal
• Liver
• Pancreatic

Why Zantac Lawsuits are Being Filed

Those who took Zantac made with ranitidine and then developed cancer, filed lawsuits after the drug’s makers issued ranitidine and Zantac recalls due to the potential risk of cancer. The Food and Drug Administration found that Zantac’s active ingredient ranitidine contains N-Nitrosodimethylamine (‘NDMA’), a probable human carcinogen.

In April 2020, the FDA told all Zantac manufacturers to stop selling the drug made with ranitidine in the United States. The agency also said that NDMA contamination can increase over time. The longer the drug sits shelved, the greater the amount of NDMA. However, the FDA doesn’t know how long Zantac has contained NDMA. 

Zantac (ranitidine) lawsuits claim Zantac’s design is defective because its active ingredient is unstable. These lawsuits also claim the Zantac drug label has failed to properly warn of the drug’s cancer risk.

No Genetic Marker Identified

Though just five types of cancer are being pursued for litigation, people who have taken Zantac and filed lawsuits have reported a wide variety of cancers linked to Zantac.

Many doctors who diagnosed people with cancer after taking Zantac said they had no family history or genetic markers for cancer, according to Zantac lawyers. Doctors have told patients their cancer was caused by something from their environment, which could include NDMA contamination.

Bladder cancer has the strongest connection. Someone who developed one of the five cancers between January 2000 and the present, March 2022, might be able to file a lawsuit against Zantac’s makers.

Additional Health Issues with a Zantac Cancer Diagnosis

Doctors who diagnosed people with cancer after taking Zantac have also diagnosed them with other at least two other health problems:

• Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes the digestive tract to become inflamed, causing severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramps, weight loss.

• Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH), a rare lung disorder that causes high blood pressure in the lungs when blood vessels narrow and raise the pressure in the pulmonary artery.

Who Qualifies for a Zantac Lawsuit?

People must satisfy several conditions to qualify for a lawsuit. They must be able to 1) prove Zantac use, 2) have a cancer diagnosis, 3) show a connection between the diagnosis and Zantac.

Brand Name Zantac vs. Generic

Plaintiffs’ lawyers are accepting claims from people who took brand name Zantac. Unfortunately, most lawyers are not accepting cases for those who took generic ranitidine, because a judge ruled last year that injuries from generic use of Zantac would not be allowed to go forward.

Zantac Use

Potential claimants must prove they took brand name Zantac (with ranitidine) for at least one year before being diagnosed with cancer. Those who received Zantac through a prescription should be able to provide proof of prescription through their medical records. Anyone who took Zantac OTC (over the counter) must produce a receipt and other evidence to show they took the drug, such as a statement or doctor’s note. Lawyers may be able to help.

Cancer Diagnosis

The main injury claimed in Zantac and ranitidine lawsuits is cancer. Potential claimants must have a diagnosis of bladder, stomach, esophageal, liver, or pancreatic cancer. It must be less than 20 years between the last time a potential client took Zantac and had a first diagnosis.

Zantac Cancer Connection

Taking higher medication doses consistently may help prove the connection. Dose duration also affects the potential case. One must have taken Zantac at least once a week for one year or longer.

Should You File a Zantac Lawsuit?

Potential compensation from filing a Zantac lawsuit may help someone with past, present and future medical costs. 

A Zantac Lawsuit may seek damages for:

• Lost wages for injury, and a family member or caregiver expenses
• Medical bills
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of ability to earn
• Loss of a loved one
• Travel for medical treatment
• Funeral expenses

Failure to Warn

The main claim in Zantac lawsuits is that defendants failed to properly warn the public that Zantac’s active ingredient, ranitidine, is unstable; so that it can form NDMA in the stomach, leading to an increased cancer risk.

Zantac Makers Named in Suits

Brand name Zantac makers named in lawsuits include Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC, Sanofi US Services Inc., Chattem Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline.

In July 2021, Judge Robin L. Rosenberg dismissed cases against generic drugmakers including Teva Pharmaceuticals, Amneal Pharmaceuticals and others because federal law prevents them from being sued.

Anyone with questions about whether a certain brand of ranitidine is included in Zantac lawsuits is encouraged to contact a lawyer.

 RELATED

• Zantac Cancer Lawsuit
• Zantac Lawsuit Update – Feb. 2022
• Zantac Maker accused of destroying Recall Emails
• Zantac cases grow a Year after Recall

by Matthews & Associates