A Florida State Court has ruled in favor of GSK, dismissing expert testimony that claimed ranitidine, the drug sold under the Zantac brand, significantly increased the risk of prostate cancer. The court found the expert testimony unreliable, aligning with the broader scientific consensus that ranitidine does not pose a consistent cancer risk.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has settled thousands of lawsuits alleging it failed to disclose the potential cancer risks associated with its heartburn drug, Zantac. The agreement covers a significant portion of the approximately 70,000 lawsuits filed in Delaware. The company has previously settled similar cases brought by other manufacturers of Zantac, including GSK and Sanofi. Financial details of the settlement are not yet available. However, the development is expected to provide relief to investors who have seen Zantac-related concerns wipe out billions of dollars in market value for drugmakers in the past. The drug’s active ingredient, ranitidine, has been linked to the formation of NDMA, a probable carcinogen, leading to its recall in 2019 by the FDA.
Sanofi has agreed to settle approximately 4,000 lawsuits alleging that its heartburn medication, Zantac, contained a carcinogen. The settlement includes payments of approximately $25,000 per claim and applies to cases filed outside of Delaware. A Delaware judge will determine the admissibility of scientific evidence for additional lawsuits involving Zantac. The company claims that the settlement is not an admission of liability but a measure to reduce litigation costs.
