In August, a federal judge dismissed claims against generic makers of the antacid drug Zantac, but Judge Robin L. Rosenberg’s order does not apply to brand-name manufacturers. Litigation against Zantac makers Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Chattem is proceeding in the early stages.
A pretrial order in the California Ranitidine Product Cases Judicial Council Coordinated Proceedings (JCCP) has set a trial date of Oct. 10, 2022. The trial, which is the first Zantac cancer case to be scheduled, was set by Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo for the County of Alameda.
Judge Grillo oversees the ranitidine JCCP. JCCP is similar to federal multidistrict litigation (MDL), with the key difference being JCCPs are adjudicated in the California state court system.
Meanwhile, the first bellwether trial for the pending 828 Zantac MDL cases will likely begin mid-2023. This trial will be in the Southern District of Florida, presided over by Judge Rosenberg.
In addition to California, Zantac lawsuits have been filed at the state level in Illinois, Florida, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Oregon and Washington state.
The pharmaceutical lab company, Valisure, conducted independent testing of ranitidine antacid drugs in 2019 and determined that a single dose of over-the-counter Zantac contained approximately 26,000 times the acceptable amount of the carcinogenic compound, NDMA.
All drugs containing ranitidine, including Zantac, were requested by the FDA to be pulled from the market on April 1, 2020.
Research studies have shown that taking Zantac is associated with a higher risk of bladder cancer. Individuals who have filed Zantac lawsuits have developed several other types of cancer including stomach, kidney, liver, esophageal, prostate and pancreatic.