Zantac ®, an over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drug often used to treat heartburn and acid indigestion, is currently subject to a massive lawsuit because of the serious side effects related to this medication’s use.
The serious side effects of the medication Zantac ® and its generic equivalent Ranitidine, include: various types of cancer (specifically stomach cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, renal cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and bladder cancer). People who have been injured by Zantac ® may be entitled to compensation for their damages from the use of this medication.
If you, or loved one, is currently suffering from (or has suffered from cancer) and used name-brand Zantac ®, or its generic equivalent Ranitidine, please call us immediately at 612-767-7516 for a free consultation. Randall & Schumacher, P.A. will talk with you about your possible case against the manufacturer of Zantac ®, or its generic equivalent Ranitidine, and if appropriate, represent you in a lawsuit against the manufacturer responsible for your cancer.
The popular drug generically named Ranitidine (also known by brand name, Zantac ® which is manufactured and sold by the drug company Sanofi) is the subject of recalls from the FDA. This drug is available in a lower strength as an over the counter (OTC) medication and at a higher strength as a prescription medication. OTC ranitidine is commonly used to relieve and prevent heartburn. Prescription strengths are also used to treat and prevent more serious ulcers in the stomach and intestines. Multiple companies sell generic versions of both the OTC and prescription products.
Some pharmacies have pulled the name brand Zantac ® and other generic versions of this heartburn drug. The generic-named ranitidine distributed by other companies may still remain on store shelves or in pharmacies.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that Zantac ® can contain an impurity classified as a probable human carcinogen. Carcinogens are substances that can cause cancer. The FDA recommended several recalls of medications in the same class as Zantac ® as the result of such unacceptable levels of the impurity found in the drugs.[1]
The Zantac ® medication is primarily used by patients to treat heartburn, acid reflux, erosions of the esophagus, ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or other conditions which cause stomach acid to back up into the esophagus or throat.
[1] In a September 13, 2019, FDA Statement, the United States Food and Drug Administration stated that “some ranitidine medicines, including some products commonly known as the brand-name Zantac, contain a nitrosamine impurity called N-nitrodimethylamine (NDMA) at low levels. NDMA is classified as a probable human carcinogen (a substance that could cause cancer0 based on results from laboratory tests. … The FDA has been investigating NDMA and other nitrosamine impurities in blood pressure and heart failure medicines called Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs) since last year. In the case of ARBs, the FDA has recommended numerous recalls as it discovered unacceptable levels of nitrosamines.” https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/statement-alerting—patients-and-health-care-professionals-ndma-found-samples-ranitidines
Patients can obtain the medication through a prescription from a medical provider, or purchase over the counter without a prescription in a lower dose. In pharmacology, this medication belongs to a class of drugs called histamine-2 (H2) blockers. The drug functions by stopping the acid-making cells in the stomach lining from responding to histamine.
Histamine is a naturally produced chemical in the human body created by certain cells, including cells in the lining of the stomach. When a person takes this drug, the intended result is that the stomach would make less acid, which then lessens the likelihood of heartburn in the esophagus or problems caused by stomach acid in the upper intestinal tract.
In response to the harmful relationship between the use of Zantac ®, and its generic equivalent Ranitidine, and certain types of cancer, injured people throughout the country have filed lawsuits against the manufacturer of Zantac ®. A large number of those lawsuits have been consolidated in a single multidistrict litigation (MDL). The Zantac cases have been consolidated before Judge Robin Rosenberg in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida for MDL proceedings.
A Multidistrict Litigation is a case where many similar individual lawsuits are litigated or pursued before a single judge, at least initially for discovery or pretrial purposes. (Discovery is the investigation stage of a legal case after a lawsuit has been filed with a court). MDL cases are not class actions.
We encourage injured people, or their family members, to please call us immediately for a free consultation to evaluate a case for those persons who have ingested of the name-brand Zantac ® or its generic equivalent Ranitidine, and have been injured through a cancer diagnosis or death. We will talk with you about your possible case against the drug manufacturer of Zantac ® or its generic equivalent Ranitidine, and the medication’s side effects that caused you or your family member’s injury or death. Attorneys at Randall & Schumacher, P.A. can be reached at 833-515-6101.
Call Randall & Schumacher, P.A. at 833-515-6101 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation at our Minneapolis office.
