700+ Zantac and ranitidine lawsuits filed in federal court, with thousands more expected
More than 700 lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of Zantac and ranitidine by patients diagnosed with cancer, according to court documents that were recently filed by lawyers involved in the litigation. The two heartburn drugs were recalled by the FDA in 2020 after researchers found that they were contaminated with a chemical linked to an increased cancer risk.
Legal experts predict that thousands of additional lawsuits involving Zantac and ranitidine will be filed over the coming years in state and federal courts. Patients who used these heartburn drugs and were diagnosed with cancer may qualify to file a lawsuit and receive compensation for their illness.
Zantac & Ranitidine 2021 Litigation Update
According to a recent filing by lawyers involved in the Zantac and ranitidine litigation, more than 700 lawsuits involving nearly 2,500 plaintiffs have been filed so far against the manufacturers of these drugs. In February 2021, these lawsuits were consolidated in a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in order to speed up the litigation process and make it easier for Zantac and ranitidine users with cancer to receive a settlement.
Lawsuits filed against companies that sold or manufactured products containing Zantac or ranitidine have alleged that pharmaceutical companies knew for decades about the potential cancer risks of these medications. However, it wasn’t until the FDA alerted the public about a link between the heartburn drugs and an increased cancer risk that Zantac and ranitidine were finally recalled in the U.S.
Because of the widespread use of both prescription and over-the-counter versions of Zantac and ranitidine, millions of patients in the U.S. may face an increased risk of developing cancer. As a result, legal experts believe that thousands of additional lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies that manufactured Zantac and ranitidine, as well as pharmacies and distributors involved in the sale of these medications, will be filed in the coming years.
Types of Cancer Linked to Zantac and Ranitidine
The increased risk of cancer among patients who used Zantac or ranitidine is due to the contamination of these medications with a chemical known as NDMA. After the FDA learned about the widespread contamination of Zantac and ranitidine with NDMA, the agency ordered drugmakers, pharmacies, and distributors involved in the manufacturing and sale of these drugs to issue a nationwide recall because of their link with an increased cancer risk.
The most common types of cancer linked to Zantac and ranitidine are breast cancer, thyroid cancer, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer. The link between the heartburn drugs and these types of cancer was confirmed in a recent study by the online pharmacy Valisure, the same organization that initially discovered the link between Zantac or ranitidine and cancer.
Researchers have also linked Zantac and ranitidine to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, and stomach cancer. Although these cancers were not linked to the heartburn drugs in the Valisure study, previous studies involving the cancer risk of NDMA exposure have shown that individuals who are exposed to the chemical may be at risk of developing these types of cancer.
Patients Diagnosed With Cancer May Qualify to File a Lawsuit
If you or a loved one used prescription or over-the-counter versions of Zantac or ranitidine and have been diagnosed with breast cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, thyroid cancer, or other types of cancer, you may qualify to file a lawsuit and receive compensation for your illness.
For a free legal consultation from an attorney to find out whether you qualify to file a lawsuit, contact the law firm of Hissey, Mulderig & Friend by calling us toll-free at 1-866-806-8117. You can also contact us by filling out our free case evaluation form, which is located on the right side of this page for desktop users and at the bottom of the page for mobile users.
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