Update:
On Oct. 9, British drugmaker GSK agreed to pay a $2.2 billion settlement to end around 80,000 complaints claiming its now-discontinued version of the heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer.
In 2019, manufacturers of Zantac and generic ranitidine announced mass recalls of the heartburn medications due to contamination with NDMA, a probable human carcinogen. Unfortunately, countless consumers may have purchased these products and unknowingly exposed themselves to carcinogenic chemicals.
Patients who took Zantac or generic ranitidine may be at an increased risk of certain cancers, including:
- Bladder cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Liver cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Breast cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Lung cancer
- Prostate cancer
Some affected patients have already taken legal action against Sanofi and other manufacturers aiming to hold them liable for their cancer diagnoses.
Do you qualify?
If you or a loved one were diagnosed with certain cancers after taking Zantac or ranitidine, you may qualify to participate in this FREE Zantac cancer lawsuit investigation.
Zantac, ranitidine: overview & side effects
Zantac and generic ranitidine are histamine (H2) blockers which serve as antacids in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn. Unlike proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Nexium and omeprazole, H2 blockers treat heartburn by controlling the body’s immune response in the digestion process. This lowers the amount of acid in the stomach, reducing heartburn symptoms.
Common Zantac side effects include gastrointestinal distress such as nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea and constipation. However, according to a series of recalls that eventually led to the drugs being taken off the market, Zantac and ranitidine may also be associated with a more sinister side effect: cancer.
Zantac recalls
In September 2019, the FDA announced that Zantac and ranitidine may be contaminated with low levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen. Shortly after this announcement, Zantac and ranitidine manufacturers started issuing individual recalls of their medication due to NDMA contamination concerns.
NDMA is an industrial waste product that can be found in cured meats, tobacco smoke or, more commonly, as an environmental contaminant. The carcinogen has gained attention in recent years due to the contamination of several pharmaceuticals like ranitidine. According to the EPA, NDMA may form unintentionally during industrial chemical reactions, including those involved in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
NDMA is thought to cause cancer by modifying human DNA and encouraging cellular mutations, a Stanford professor told ABC News. However, these results have only been confirmed in animal testing, meaning that NDMA can only be classified as a “probable” human carcinogen.
Unfortunately, research indicates that NDMA contamination in ranitidine medications may be especially dangerous. In January 2021, researchers revealed that NDMA in ranitidine may increase up to three orders of magnitude beyond established limits under acidic conditions, such as the acid environment in the stomach.
Although NDMA has been associated with cancer in lab testing, most people are still exposed to the substance by eating foods such as grilled or smoked meats. As a result, the FDA set a “reasonably safe” limit of daily consumption to 0.096 micrograms or 0.32 parts per million (ppm) of NDMA in ranitidine per day. In medications that had contamination above this safe limit, the FDA recommended recalls.
After months of recalls by Sanofi Pharmaceutical, Sandoz and other companies, the FDA requested the removal of all prescription and over-the-counter ranitidine and Zantac from the U.S. market in April 2020. According to the agency’s announcement, further testing and investigation into the issue revealed that even lower levels of NDMA contamination could increase significantly when stored at temperatures typically seen during distribution and consumer handling.
“We didn’t observe unacceptable levels of NDMA in many of the samples that we tested. However, since we don’t know how or for how long the product might have been stored, we decided that it should not be available to consumers and patients unless its quality can be assured,” said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a press release.
“The FDA will continue our efforts to ensure impurities in other drugs do not exceed acceptable limits so that patients can continue taking medicines without concern.”
Zantac cancer lawsuits
Although the mass removal of Zantac and ranitidine products protects consumers from future exposure to carcinogens, individuals who took the medications in the past may have unknowingly increased their risk for certain cancers, including:
- Bladder cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Liver cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Breast cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Lung cancer
- Prostate cancer
Consumers affected by Zantac cancer have taken matters into their own hands, filing tens of thousands of lawsuits against Zantac and ranitidine manufacturers. Plaintiffs in Zantac cancer lawsuits say they wouldn’t have taken the medication if they had known it would increase the risk of cancer.
Some plaintiffs argue that manufacturers knew or should have known about the risk for Zantac cancer risk but failed to warn consumers. New reports corroborate these claims, indicating that Zantac manufacturers may have known about the Zantac cancer risk for years longer than the public.
Some plaintiffs argue that manufacturers knew or should have known about the risk for Zantac cancer risk but failed to warn consumers. New reports corroborate these claims, indicating that Zantac manufacturers may have known about the Zantac cancer risk for years longer than the public.
According to a 2023 report from Bloomberg, Zantac manufacturer GSK has known about the potential for carcinogenic impurities for decades and even knew about the risks when seeking approval from the FDA. GSK allegedly supported “flawed research” with the intention of downplaying Zantac cancer risks while refusing to make changes to prevent carcinogen contamination.
A GSK spokesperson denied these allegations when approached by FiercePharma, saying that the Bloomberg article “presents an incomplete and biased presentation of the facts surrounding the Zantac (ranitidine) litigation.”
Litigation continues against Sanofi, Pfizer Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline LLC, with bellwether trials scheduled to take place in Florida federal court.
Join a Zantac cancer lawsuit investigation
People who took Zantac or generic ranitidine may be at an increased risk of certain cancers, including:
- Bladder cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Liver cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Breast cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Lung cancer
- Prostate cancer
A Zantac cancer lawsuit may be able to help cancer patients and surviving family members collect compensation including medical expenses, potential loss of wages, emotional and physical suffering and loss of consortium.
This lawsuit is currently open to individuals in certain states that took Zantac or ranitidine for more than a year and was later diagnosed.
