Lawyers Leading Zantac MDL Are Confident of a Large Zantac Cancer Settlement
Zantac heartburn medicine cancer litigation could be the largest mass tort personal injury case since tobacco
Friday, June 18, 2021 - Lawyers representing clients allegedly injured by taking Zantac heartburn and acid reflux medicine are optimistic that juries will award them billions in punitive damages. Experienced lawyers serving in leadership roles in the Zantac MDL and JCCP are confident that the Zantac litigation could be the largest in recent history after bellwether trials conclude. Approximately 70,000 plaintiffs have already filed for inclusion in MDL. Lawyers for Zantac plaintiffs compare the Zantac cases to those in similar mass tort personal injury cases involving Roundup herbicide. Two juries awarded plaintiffs with non-Hodgkins lymphoma billions in punitive damages. Attorneys told GlobalNewsWire.com, "These hard-earned court victories laid the groundwork for over $10 billion in settlements with Bayer (acquired Monsanto in 2018). According to Wisner, the Zantac litigation ‘will dwarf what we won in the Roundup litigation." Lawyers continue to interview potential Zantac cancer victims that wish to file individual claims. Visit Zantac antacid cancer lawsuit to learn more.
Cases against Sanofi, GalaxoSmithKline, and others have consolidated into MDL presided over by Judge Robin Rosenberg for the Southern District of Florida and California state court under chief justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye. In each case, plaintiffs have made similar allegations against the defendants like having developed stomach, bladder, esophagus, colon, prostate, and other types of cancer from regularly using Zantac. The companies are accused of fraud and negligence by covering up what they knew about ranitidine being an inherently unstable molecule that breaks down under certain conditions to become N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a known carcinogen; Those conditions being the higher temperatures and nitrates in the stomach. The Florida court is organized under one judge in multidistrict litigation, while the California state court procedure is called Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP). Both types of proceedings are preferential in mass tort personal injury cases that involve complex science, as does the Zantac cancer claims.
One of the more significant elements of the Zantac cancer case is that Sanofi, the maker of Zantac, is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accused of lying to government regulators and the public about their knowledge of the science behind ranitidine turning carcinogenic. Also, Sanofi is accused of tampering with evidence before the upcoming trials. Fierce Pharma.com wrote, "In a new filing from lawyers representing more than 70,000 former patients, Sanofi is accused of "widespread" destruction of employee emails tied to its 2019 recall of the drug, which preceded the FDA‘s outright ban in 2020."
There is little doubt that ranitidine, the main ingredient in Zantac causes cancer. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was aware of this decade ago and set a limit of 96 nonograms of NDMA per tablet as an acceptable limit. Online prescription drug testing pharmacy Valisure found over 3 million NGS of NDMA in Zantac and immediately notified Sanofi and the FDA. Sanofi voluntarily withdrew Zantac followed by the FDA banning all types of ranitidine about a month later on April 01, 2020.
