Zantac Pancreatic Cancer Lawsuit

Zantac was a staple in medicine cabinets and homes across the country since 1983. The companies that made Zantac and generic ranitidine made money by the billions. However, Zantac makers were allegedly hiding a dangerous secret about their product.

Zantac lawsuits have alleged that people have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and other types of cancer after taking Zantac because the product is tainted with n nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)

Zantac lawsuits are shaping up to be one of the largest mass tort cases of all time. This popular and common heartburn medication may have sickened thousands of people.

Our law firm can help you as you seek financial compensation for the cancer or increased cancer risk that you have from taking this medication. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.

Zantac Was Used to Treat Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

For decades, Zantac was what people used to treat heartburn. Before proton pump inhibitors, there was ranitidine. Zantac was the right combination of a cleverly marketed product and one that simply worked.

Within three years of being introduced to the market, Zantac was already racking up $1 billion of annual sales, and the profits continued for decades. Once patent protection expired, scores of companies got into the market, making their own generic Zantac.

Zantac was intended to treat acid reflux. First, users took prescription Zantac. Then, after years of being sold as a prescription drug, Zantac became available over the counter.

Zantac Was Intended to Reduce Stomach Acid

Zantac was one of the primary drugs used to treat acid indigestion. Specifically, Zantac was a histamine blocker. H2 blockers prevent acid production in the stomach, although they work differently than proton pump inhibitors.

Ranitidine was the main active ingredient in Zantac. Patients took this drug up to four times daily. It came in prescription strength and over-the-counter.

Zantac was used to treat the following conditions:

• Stomach ulcers
• Persistent coughs
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome

Zantac worked on the following symptoms

• Heartburn
• Stomach pain that would not otherwise go away
• Acid reflux
• Difficulty swallowing

An Online Pharmacy Found NDMA in Ranitidine Medications

A small independent online pharmacy called Valisure investigated ranitidine as part of its efforts to further drug and consumer product safety. Valisure orders consumer products from the internet and purchases them from stores to test them for dangerous substances.

The company has found benzene in several consumer products and NDMA is pharmaceuticals.

The company released its initial test results in September 2019 that confirmed the presence of NDMA in Zantac. There was still some room in those test results for some (including the FDA) to try to urge calm and dispute the fact that Zantac increased cancer risk. The FDA tried to reassure the public that Zantac was not dangerous.

However, drug makers and pharmacies began to think differently. On their own, they began to pull Zantac and ranitidine off the market because of the cancer risk.

Recent Research Lends Even More Credibility to a Zantac Cancer Lawsuit

Valisure released a research report in February 2021 that showed exactly how dangerous Zantaac was. This study is sure to be cited in Zantac pancreatic cancer lawsuits.

Valusire found NDMA in every brand and type of ranitidine drug tested. Some of these had NDMA levels that were hundreds of times more than the daily maximum limit for safe intake.

Other scientific research numerically quantifies the fact that the rates of certain cancers are higher in those who have taken ranitidine over the long term.

How a Ranitidine Molecule Can Lead to NDMA Exposure

Numerous studies have shown that ranitidine itself is the cause of NDMA exposure from taking Zantac. Even before Zantac was ever sold to the public, there was scientific research that showed that ranitidine could be toxic.

With ranitidine, the problem is that the compound itself is very unstable. When ranitidine is exposed to heat, it can break down and form its own NDMA. This happens when it is stored in higher temperatures or during the shipping process. The longer that Zantac sits on the shelf, the more likely it is to form NDMA, and the higher the level of NDMA.

Some researchers even think that ranitidine can form NDMA once it is in your body. One research study tested the urine of people within 24 hours after taking Zantac, and the level of NDMA was hundreds of times higher than the urine of someone who was not taking Zantac.

Being exposed to these levels of NDMA on a daily basis over years can significantly raise cancer risk.

NDMA Is a Probable Human Carcinogen

Prevailing scientific evidence is that there are significant health risks associated with NDMA exposure. The primary risk is that one exposed to NDMA could develop cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, NDMA is a "potent carcinogen." This has been shown through numerous tests where laboratory animals were exposed to it in their food and drinking water. It is also classified as a "probable human carcinogen."

Humans are exposed to NDMA on a daily basis. It can be in their drinking water, and it is in certain foods like cured meats. However, there is a maximum amount of daily intake before one may be at increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer and other tumors.

The FDA Recalls Zantac and Generic Ranitidine

The Food and Drug Administration issued a full recall of Zantac and generic ranitidine over the concerns of developing cancer from exposure to NDMA.

The lack of action from the Food and Drug Administration was appalling. One may think that a full recall showed that the FDA was doing what was necessary to protect consumers.

However, the FDA's actions came after years of research that showed that ranitidine products may be dangerous, and after Valisure did the work in alerting the public to the risks of Zantac use.

It was only months after the initial announcement that the FDA ordered the full recall. This was after the FDA initially tried to assure the public that Zantac was still safe in spite of evidence to the contrary. The FDA's action ended Zantac's four-year stay on supermarket shelves and family medicine cabinets.

Why Patients Have Developed Pancreatic Cancer From Zantac

The pancreas is located inside your abdomen, right behind your stomach. It produces enzymes that aid in the digestive process. It becomes exposed to food and other substances that you have ingested.

When you are chewing Zantac, it goes to your stomach. The NDMA that taints Zantac permeates your digestive system, and it may come into contact with your pancreas. Sustained exposure increases the chances of developing pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer Is Among the Most Deadly Cancers

Even pancreatic cancer that is caught in the early stages is more often than not fatal. Ten percent of patients who receive an early diagnosis become cancer-free after treatment. The problem is that very few people will receive an early diagnosis.

According to the National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer is extremely serious because it is usually not caught until it has developed and spread.

It is difficult to reach a pancreatic cancer diagnosis because it has symptoms that are similar to other illnesses, and pancreatic cancer may not be the first thing for which a doctor would test.

Zantac pancreatic cancer usually does not have a favorable prognosis. The five-year survival rate is under 10%. Most times when a patient has developed pancreatic cancer, it is not diagnosed until it is at Stage IV. At this point, the patient usually has less than two years to live.

You may even receive compensation for pancreatic cancer when ranitidine use aggravated prior risk factors that you had that may have caused the disease. This is true, even when there is a family history of cancer.

However, you would have to show the jury that, even though you had these risk factors, the use of Zantac or generic Zantac still contributed to your cancer diagnosis.

Other Types of Cancers From These Dangerous Drugs

Patients have been diagnosed with different types of cancer after taking these heartburn medications. Given the fact that the patient has ingested a toxin, these cancers have mostly appeared either in the digestive or urinary tracts.

Other cancers that have resulted from the use of ranitidine products include:

• Stomach cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Gastric cancer
• Liver cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Colorectal cancer (colon or rectal cancer)
• Breast cancer

Zantac Makers Allegedly Knew About the Risks of Pancreatic Cancer

With all the research available for decades, there was very little way that companies that made and sold Zantac and ranitidine products could not have known about the risks of pancreatic cancer and other tumors.

One way for you to show that a product is defective is when you can prove defective marketing.

When a company knows or should know that a product they sell is dangerous, they should either pull the product from the market or change the warning label so that the public knows and can make their own decision.

If they do not do this, they could be strictly liable for selling a defective product.

In reality, juries get very angry about failure to warn cases. There are often company documents that the plaintiffs get their hands on in the discovery process that show that the company knew about the problem and either did nothing or attempted to hide it from the public.

It will be interesting to see what emerges in this case since these scientific studies go back four decades.

How to File a Zantac Lawsuit

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with cancer after ranitidine use, you should contact an experienced attorney who can help you with Zantac pancreatic cancer lawsuits.

The first step is that you would contact an experienced product liability attorney for a free consultation. We would speak with you and learn more about the facts of your case.

A lawyer would investigate your claim and review your medical records. We would then draft and file a complaint on your behalf that would begin your lawsuit.

Wrongful Death Claims Against Drug Manufacturers

Since pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly types of tumors in the human body, we are often sought out by families of patients who have died after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. They tell us that Zantac use caused their death.

If that is the case, your family can still receive financial compensation for cancer deaths. In that case, you would file a wrongful death lawsuit against the maker of the drug. Your family would be legally entitled to its own damages that it suffered when your loved one died.

So long as you can prove that Zantac or the generic medications were defective, or that the makers were negligent in making the drug, you could recover financial compensation.

Damages in a wrongful death lawsuit include:

• Compensation for the earnings that your loved one would have made had they lived
• Payment for your own grief and trauma from losing a loved one
• Payment for the loss of the close relationship that you had with your loved one

Law Firm Helping Families With Zantac Lawsuits

If you or a loved one have taken Zantac and received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, our attorneys can help you file a Zantac cancer lawsuit.

The attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can offer you a free consultation for your Zantac pancreatic cancer lawsuit. We have a long track record of helping injured clients and their families, and we understand the difficulties that our clients are facing.

Call us today at (888) 424-5757 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation. Not only is the initial consultation free, but you owe us nothing unless we are able to help you win your case.

Frequently Asked Questions About Zantac Lawsuits

Here are some common questions that we are asked about Zantac Pancreatic cancer lawsuits.