The Zantac litigation continues to move forward in state court. The Zantac state court litigation will have a slightly more narrowed focus compared to the initial class action MDL in federal court. The Zantac litigation will focus more on specific types of cancer that have the strongest evidence linking them to NDMA and Zantac use.
- What is the expected individual settlement payout in the Zantac lawsuit
What kind of cancer does NDMA cause?
Our Zantac lawyers are taking the following Zantac cancer lawsuits:
Could Zantac cause other types of cancer? Of course. These are the cancers best linked to NDMA based on the current scientific understanding. These are the cancer being pursued in the MDL class action.
What are the risks of Zantac?
All drugs carry risks. There are virtually no medications that do not travel with possible risk. Adverse reactions to Zantac were thought to be rare. Most neurologic side effects were seen in elderly patients or patients with kidney or hepatic impairment. These side effects usually resolved by simply stopping the use of ranitidine. You also saw rare cases of hepatic toxicity with ranitidine.
So no one is saying drugs have to be perfectly safe. The question is whether there is an unacceptable cancer risk with ranitidine.
Zantac and NDMA
Ranitidine is classified as an antacid and is the main ingredient in many heartburn medications, including Zantac. Inside these ranitidine products, the FDA has determined through lab tests that they contain low levels of an impurity called N-nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA.
The FDA has been investigating NDMA in blood pressure and heart failure medications since last year, and WHO has recently labeled the impurity as a “probable human carcinogen”.
This isn’t the first time NDMA has been detected in over-the-counter medications, either. The FDA has recalled several other medications that contain the ingredient valsartan. Valsartan products have also been found to contain “unacceptable levels” of NDMA impurities linked to cancer.
Why file a Zantac cancer lawsuit?
Money will not change what you have gone through. But a settlement can help you get through it. Settlement proceeds can pay for medical treatment, the time you lost from work, and, most importantly, compensate you for your pain and suffering.
Zantac Settlements Are Expected
This is the question you have to ask: how much money can Zantac victims expect in a settlement. The real answer is no one knows. But our lawyers expect the Zantac lawsuits to lead to favorable settlements. Why? This chemical has been commercially available for nearly 40 years. No one saw a connection to cancer in all of that time? My guess is that the makers of ranitidine probably saw data showing a connection, wrote about it, and the research and efforts to test a connection went nowhere.
My guess is lawsuits get filed and we get a better idea of who knows what. Of course, this presupposes causation between Zantac and cancer. Our lawyers are now only handling five types of cancer that have been strongly linked to NDMA:
- bladder cancer
- esophageal cancer
- liver cancer
- stomach cancer
- pancreatic cancer
Are there other cancers linked to Zantac? Every type of cancer is a possibility. But these are the cases best linked to NDMA in June 2022. Science changes and this could change, too.
Will the Zantac lawsuits lead to large settlement amounts?
What is the potential settlement value of the Zantac cases? It is so early to project the settlement value of these cases. Could it be bigger than Roundup which is projected to be about $150,000 a case? I think that is a fair comp for a mass tort settlement. But we will have to see how these cases play out.
What Is the Zantac Class Action MDL Census?
The Zantac class action MDL census allows victims to to “register” their claim with a third-party claims administrator without filing a traditional lawsuit. The upside for Zantac victims is that participating in the census tolls the running of the statute of limitations. The class action judge announced on September 12, 2022 that the census will soon be closing.
What about generic Zantac lawsuits?
Claims against generic manufacturers are always a challenge for plaintiffs’ lawyers. Why? Because the FDA has a “sameness” requirement for generic drugs. This means that a generic manufacturer must have the same label as the brand-name equivalent. So if the label is the same, federal preemption bars state court antacid medication lawsuits against generic manufacturers and distributors.
Should patients stop taking Zantac?
(We wrote this question when Zantac was still on the market. Obviously, it is a moot point now.)
One table of Zantac may contain 3,000 to 26,000 times the FDA’s daily limit for NDMA consumption. So the first thing you want to do is talk to your doctor. I’m a lawyer, not a doctor.
But there is a reason that product has been pulled off the shelves. There are other products out there to treat this condition. If you are taking this drug over the counter, I would try another medication. You think the whole thing might be overblown. I don’t think so. But I’ll allow for the possibility. But I don’t think the risk is worth it.
The FDA said that patients who are taking prescription-strength heartburn products containing ranitidine should contact their healthcare provider to discuss alternative treatments.
Innovator Liability Claims Involving Antacid Medications
Innovator liability is, frankly, an end-run around federal preemption protection enjoyed by generic manufacturers. Under this claim, an “innovator” may be responsible for harm caused by the generic drug. So victims who were injured by the generic drug product can sue the brand-name drug manufacturer liable for failing to warn of a defect in the product. But the MDL judge dismissed plaintiffs’ generic ranitidine lawsuits
When will the Zantac lawsuits be settled?
Our lawyers cannot tell you when the Zantac lawsuits will settle and which cancers would be a part of a class action settlement.
Our lawyers’ feeling has always been victims will win these Zantac lawsuits if they go to trial. Trials will likely start at the end of the year. The defendants would be wise to settle any Zantac lawsuit before the judge allows them to go to a jury. Will the Zantac cases settle this year? We will find out.
It is also worth letting you know that even if the stars line up and the Zantac lawsuits settle this year, you likely would not expect to see settlement compensation payouts until next year.
Mass tort cases like this litigation, unfortunately for victims who have already suffered so much, do take time.
- Are you looking for information on a Zyrtec lawsuits? Many victims end up on this page I recently noticed. Our lawyers are not handling Zyrtec lawsuits.
- Camp Lejeune bladder cancer lawsuits are being filed in 2022. Bladder cancer is one of the most connected diseases to contaminated water and it may be the cancer most linked with the NDMA in Zantac
What Is the Biggest Challenge in the Zantac Lawsuits for Victims’ Lawyers?
The biggest challenge for victims’ attorneys in the Zantac lawsuits is proving that NDMA caused the cancer the victim has or had. We see the same problem in the new CPAP litigation. Showing the companies screwed up should not be that difficult.
But before a judge ever lets you get in front of a jury, you must prove to that judge that the science supports the premise that the victim’s cancer could have been caused by the NDMA in Zantac. For bladder cancer and a few others, this may not be difficult. But for some types of cancer, this may be harder to prove.
Motions contesting the admissibility of the plaintiffs’ causation experts were filed in June 2022, by the defendants in the Zantac cancer litigation. Motions of this type are called “Daubert” challenges, and they are filed by defendants (and sometimes plaintiffs) in virtually every product liability class action lawsuit. Our Zantac lawyers are confident plaintiffs get past this Daubert motion. Because the evidence in the Zantac lawsuit is strong.