Zantac Trials Will Start in 2023 After Experts Are Interviewed
Multidistrict litigation is proceeding with common technical considerations being resolved
Thursday, August 5, 2021 - Millions of Americans trusted Zantac ranitidine and generic forms of the drug. People assumed they were safe because they were FDA-tested. More than 15 million Americans were taking Zantac every day until April 1, 2020, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to recall the drug for fears heating it or its interaction with nitrates in the stomach could cause it to become carcinogenic. Zantac was sold at reputable retailers like Walmart, CVS, and Rite Aid, adding another degree of confidence for consumers who contemplated purchasing the drug. If you or a loved one have been taking Zantac and have developed cancer, you should speak with a Zantac cancer lawyer to see if you qualify to file a lawsuit.
The result of building a leading brand was that for many years, Zantac was the leading brand of heartburn and acid reflux medicine sold in the US. Online prescription drug testing pharmacy Valisure tested Zantac when one of the company‘s founders wanted his young daughter to start taking it. The results were that the scientist found highly elevated levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in every capsule they tested. The company fired off a citizen‘s petition to the FDA requesting the recall until more tests could be done. Hundreds of lawsuits against the drugs various manufacturers are being organized in multidistrict litigation (MDL) under judge Robin Rosenberg, who has narrowed down the list of defendants to just two, Boehringer Ingelheim and Sanofi-Aventis, the drugs manufacturers, and generic manufacturers and retailers have been removed and absolved of responsibility.
Taking Zantac regularly and for many years allegedly causes stomach, bladder, colon, and other forms of cancer. Scientists believe that ranitidine degrades to become carcinogenic NDMA when exposed to high temperatures, but it is not known what the exact cause of the higher temperatures may be. Valisure thinks that high drug storage temperatures during shipping or storage at retailers cause the NDMA growth. The FDA suspects that Valisure‘s high-temperature testing methods could have caused the ranitidine breakdown. The judge has also produced a standardized questionnaire that each lawyer must administer to every client that wishes to be included in the Zantac cancer litigation.
The Zantac multidistrict litigation leadership council has made several decisions in addition to collaborating on the standardized questions to ask potential plaintiffs. One of the items that have been decided upon is to limit the types of cancer that were allegedly caused by taking ranitidine. About Lawsuit lists these as being "breast, bladder, colorectal/intestinal, esophageal, gastric, kidney, liver, lung, pancreatic and prostate cancer." Judge Rosenberg will also interview expert witnesses from both sides during Daubert Hearings to determine which ones have the credibility and expertise to testify before juries. MDL is different than a class-action lawsuit. In MDL, each case goes before a judge and jury and each one is unique. There is a Zantac class-action lawsuit also underway and Judge Rosenberg has allowed those who used Zantac to file for inclusion directly. It is assumed that tens of thousands of lawsuits will come forward if the bellwether trials against Sanofi produce significant jury awards.
