As of now, if you have taken Zantac or any other generic form of ranitidine and have been diagnosed with cancer, you should immediately contact a Zantac attorney. You may have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit in your case.
For years, Zantac was everywhere you turned. It was present on your television screens and the supermarket shelves. When people had heartburn, no matter what drug they took, they were “taking a Zantac” in the same way that people “drank a Coke” when they had a soda. Zantac was the first drug in the U.S. to hit the “billion-dollar club.”
Now, Zantac is no longer on the shelves and will never be again. It all happened in a matter of months after research showed that the drug that people turned to for heartburn relief actually could cause cancer. Zantac went from being a household name to the subject of what may be one of the larger mass tort cases. In many cases, victims are poised to recover significant compensation for their Zantac-related injuries.
Zantac Is Contaminated with a Substance that Can Cause Cancer
The specific problem for Zantac consumers is that the drug that they may have taken for years contains a substance that, when ingested in large enough amounts, is a carcinogen. The substance is called N-nitrosodimethylamine, and it is otherwise known as NDMA. This is a volatile compound that is usually found in things like cured meats and fermented foods. It is also used to make rocket fuel and has even been used as a poison.
People ingest NDMA with frequency because it is also found in their drinking water, but typically not in dangerous amounts. There is a recommended daily limit on NDMA intake. When people exceed that, they can be in danger. Studies have shown that NDMA causes cancer in lab rats. Experts also believe that it causes cancer in humans. NDMA could cause the following types of cancer:
· Colorectal cancer
· Pancreatic cancer
· Lymphoma
· Leukemia
· Kidney cancer
· Bladder cancer
Many Drugs Have this Same Cancer-Causing Substance
The focus on NDMA and drugs began in 2018. A blood pressure medication called Valsartan was tested and found to contain NDMA. In this case, the drug was made overseas, and the cause was suspected to be a defect in the manufacturing process that contaminated the medication. This kicked off a series of tests of other drugs to look for contaminants.
For Zantac, the problems began in September 2019 when it got its moment in the testing lab. The first FDA statement alerted consumers to the fact that NDMA was found during lab testing of Zantac. The initial statement did not let the public know of the full extent of the problem. In fact, it did not even tell manufacturers and drugstores to recall the product. Initially, the FDA did not think that the levels of NDMA were high enough to be too dangerous.
Drugstores Quickly Took Zantac off the Shelves
However, drugstores, perhaps in order to protect themselves, acted quickly, taking Zantac off the shelves on their own. Within weeks, major chains had completely pulled the products. Meanwhile, independent testing showed much higher levels of NDMA than initially feared. Given the fact that millions of people regularly used Zantac over the years, there is a large danger that tens of thousands of people could have been sickened by Zantac and other competing drugs. By April 2020, the FDA ordered a full recall of Zantac, although, by that point, drug makers had largely done the FDA’s job for them.
The main thought is that the active ingredient of Zantac, ranitidine, is the cause of the problem. Scientists have honed in on the fact the ranitidine itself is an unstable compound. Over time, it can produce its own NDMA, especially when it is stored at higher temperatures. The more time passes, and the higher the temperature, the more dangerous Zantac can become. Zantac can become a carcinogen even sitting in your medicine cabinet. In other words, Zantac itself makes the carcinogen.
If you or a loved one have taken Zantac and developed cancer, this gives you grounds for a lawsuit and possible settlement. The makers of these drugs should have known that their active ingredient could become a contaminant and put patient’s lives in danger. These drug makers could be held legally responsible for manufacturing a defective product and for:
· Negligence
· Design defect
· Failure to warn patients of the dangers
· Manufacturing defect
The Zantac Lawsuits are Growing
Cases of cancer tied to Zantac and other generic forms of the drug have led to hundreds of lawsuits being filed against various drug manufacturers, including:
· Sanofi
· Novartis
· GlaxoSmithKline
· Boehringer Ingelheim
Any drug maker who manufactured a generic version of ranitidine may have possible legal liability. Here, the grounds would be that the design of the drug was defective because the active ingredient became a carcinogen.
While the number of lawsuits measured in the hundreds at the start of the year, we expect it to grow to the thousands. Zantac was a multi-billion drug and was one of the highest-grossing drugs in history. Even if the drug causes one or two extra cases of cancer per 1,000 patients, the number of possible plaintiffs is still very high.
How Much Can I Get in a Zantac Settlement?
Product liability lawyers have been frequently asked how much is a Zantac lawsuit worth. The answer that any attorney would give is that it depends on what you have suffered in your case. Usually, your damages in a Zantac settlement would include the following.
· Medical bills
· Lost wages
· Pain and suffering
· Emotional trauma
· Loss of enjoyment of life
· Wrongful death damages if someone lost their life
Right now, these lawsuits are in their early phases. There is a chance that the defendants could settle these cases, given their legal risk. This would mean that there is a global settlement of all ranitidine cases. In order to be eligible for a Zantac settlement, you must first file a claim.
As of now, if you have taken Zantac or any other generic form of ranitidine and have been diagnosed with cancer, you should immediately contact a Zantac attorney. You may have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit in your case.
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