When Zantac, a ranitidine medication, came onto the scene in the 1980s, it was touted as a treatment for heartburn and other related stomach ailments. Four decades later, in 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that manufacturers immediately withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market. This resulted from an investigation and FDA testing into a contaminant known as N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine medications.
A reformulated Zantac, Zantac 360, was then later made available with famotidine replacing ranitidine.
What Is Zantac (Ranitidine)?
Zantac belongs to a group of drugs called histamine-2 blockers (H2 blockers). It works by reducing the amount of acid your stomach produces. The drug starts to work in as little as 30 minutes and is often available in ranitidine effervescent tablets.
It has been used to treat acid indigestion, prevent ulcers in the stomach and intestines caused by too much acid, and relieve heartburn.
Zantac was also used to treat conditions involving too much stomach acid production, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is a rare condition in which one or more tumors grow in the pancreas or the upper part of the small intestine.
In addition, Zantac was used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other conditions in which acid backs up from the stomach into the esophagus, causing heartburn.
Heartburn symptoms include a burning sensation in the chest that typically occurs after eating and may even worsen at night or while lying down. There is a backwash of food or sour liquid in the throat and upper belly or chest pain. An individual may have trouble swallowing, called dysphagia, and a sensation of a lump in the throat.
Cancer-Causing Ranitidine Medications
Made with ranitidine, Zantac was recalled after the FDA found traces of NDMA — a chemical impurity that can cause cancer — in some batches of the drug. The cancer-causing impurity found in many ranitidine medicines may increase to unacceptable levels over time and when ranitidine is stored at high temperatures.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, NDMA is classified as a group 2A carcinogen because there is sufficient evidence that it is a probable human carcinogen. Studies have linked NDMA to cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver, skin, ovaries, prostate, and stomach.
Zantac Recall
Beginning in September 2019, manufacturers and pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart removed the drug from store shelves. Six months later, the FDA requested that all ranitidine products be removed from the market.
Patients taking prescription ranitidine were encouraged to speak with their healthcare professionals about other treatments for heartburn symptoms.
Other Products Containing Ranitidine
Although the medicine is most often recognized as Zantac, there have been various modifications and generic versions on the market. All of the products listed below included the active component ranitidine:
- Acid Control (ranitidine)
- Acid Reducer (ranitidine)
- Heartburn Relief (ranitidine)
- Wal-Zan 150
- Wal-Zan 75
- Zantac 150 Maximum Strength
- Zantac 150 Maximum Strength Cool Mint
- Zantac 150 Tablets
- Zantac 75 Tablets
Lawsuits Involving Zantac
Numerous lawsuits have been filed involving Zantac. According to Reuters, 70,000 lawsuits have been filed claiming that the discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer. Numerous drug companies, such as Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Sanofi, are defendants in several states, including New York. Some have settled lawsuits, hoping they would disappear. For example, Pfizer has reached agreements to settle more than 10,000 Zantac lawsuits. Sanofi recently settled 4,000 lawsuits. Glaxo has also reached confidential settlements.
However, the lawsuits continue. The plaintiffs claim that the defendants should have known of the risk of NDMA in Zantac. They allege that these drug companies negligently marketed and distributed Zantac despite knowing it could degrade into NDMA, a potent carcinogen.
The lawsuits also allege that the defendants could have tested Zantac for NDMA, alerted the FDA, physicians, and Zantac patients about the concerns they should have had, shortened expiration dates, packaged the drug differently, and stored and transported Zantac at moderate heat and humidity conditions.
One complaint, for example, alleges that the plaintiff regularly used brand-name Zantac and generic ranitidine in prescription and other approved OTC products (over-the-counter) from 1995 to 2012 which led to his prostate cancer.
The plaintiffs seek compensation for the severe health consequences allegedly resulting from the defendants’ actions, accusing the companies of prioritizing profit over consumer safety and engaging in a systematic effort to downplay the drug’s risks.
The Zantac Legal Landscape Today
Lawsuits are still being heard. The Delaware court alone has 75,000 cases. The drug companies have appealed, with mixed results, and several trials are proceeding.
Your Legal Recourse
If you were a Zantac user and have been diagnosed with bladder cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer with a diagnosis under the age of 69, lung cancer (nonsmokers), or breast cancer, contact an attorney.
Contact the Law Firm of Ronemus & Vilensky
As the New York City area’s premier personal injury attorneys, the law firm of Ronemus & Vilensky has worked with thousands of injury victims and their loved ones. We have built our law firm’s reputation on a foundation of legal expertise and victim compassion. Every case is handled with the utmost care every step of the way.
We make every effort to uncover the facts behind each pharmaceutical injury case, including gathering testimony from subject experts in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. These experts often testify on behalf of our clients in settlement hearings and courtroom trials. Our goal is to prepare solid cases that help ensure that injury victims receive the compensation they deserve.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a contaminated, mislabeled, or unsafe drug, call Ronemus & Vilensky today at (212) 779-7070 for a free consultation.
