Delaware judge allows over 70,000 Zantac lawsuits to move forward

[KARAH RUCKER]

MORE THAN 70,000 LAWSUITS OVER A NOW-DISCONTINUED HEARTBURN DRUG ARE MOVING FORWARD. A DELAWARE JUDGE RULED FRIDAY, MAY 31, LAWSUITS ALLEGING ZANTAC CAUSED CANCER COULD MOVE FORWARD. 

THE RULING IS A SETBACK FOR FORMER ZANTAC MAKERS GSK, PFIZER, SANOFI, AND BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM, WHICH HAD ARGUED THE EXPERT WITNESSES’ OPINIONS LACKED SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT. GSK, PFIZER AND SANOFI SAID IN SEPARATE STATEMENTS THEY DISAGREED WITH THE DECISION AND WOULD APPEAL, SAYING THERE WAS NO RELIABLE EVIDENCE SHOWING ZANTAC CAUSED CANCER. 

SOME MANUFACTURERS AND PHARMACIES STOPPED SELLING ZANTAC IN 2019, AFTER A CHEMICAL CALLED NDMA, WHICH IS KNOWN TO CAUSE CANCER, WAS DETECTED IN SOME PILLS. SOME TESTS SHOWED ZANTAC’S ACTIVE INGREDIENT, RANITIDINE, COULD DEGRADE INTO NDMA OVER TIME OR WHEN EXPOSED TO HEAT. 

LAWSUITS QUICKLY BEGAN PILING UP FROM PEOPLE WHO SAID THEY DEVELOPED CANCER AFTER TAKING ZANTAC. PLAINTIFFS SAID THE COMPANIES KNEW, OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, RANITIDINE POSED A CANCER RISK AND FAILED TO WARN CONSUMERS. 

THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION HAD MANUFACTURERS PULL THE DRUG OFF THE MARKET IN 2020. 

IN ADDITION TO THE CASES IN DELAWARE, THE DRUGMAKERS ARE FACING ABOUT 4,000 CLAIMS IN CALIFORNIA STATE COURT AND ABOUT 2,000 IN VARIOUS OTHER STATE COURTS AROUND THE COUNTRY. 

JUST LAST MONTH A CHICAGO JURY REJECTED AN ILLINOIS WOMAN’S CLAIM THAT ZANTAC CAUSED HER COLON CANCER, HANDING GSK AND BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM A VICTORY IN THE FIRST CASE TO GO TO TRIAL. IN 2022, THE DRUGMAKERS ALSO GOT A BIG WIN, WHEN ANOTHER JUDGE DISMISSED ABOUT 50,000 LAWSUITS MAKING SIMILAR CLAIMS THAT HAD BEEN CONSOLIDATED IN FEDERAL COURT IN FLORIDA. 

THAT JUDGE CONCLUDED THAT THE OPINIONS OF THE PLAINTIFFS’ EXPERT WITNESSES THAT ZANTAC CAN CAUSE CANCER WERE NOT SUPPORTED BY SOUND SCIENCE. THAT RULING WAS BASED ON THE OPINIONS OF DIFFERENT EXPERTS FROM THOSE IN THE DELAWARE CASE AND IS BEING APPEALED.