Ranitidine and Zantac lawsuits are filed against manufacturing companies, for example, Sanofi and the likes, by alleging them for their failure in mentioning the risk from the drugs, taken for heartburn. As per studies, the drug contains NDMA, a cancer-causing agent, beyond the permissible level. The lawyers are accepting several cases from those who were on Zantac and later diagnosed with carcinoma.
Valisure, a Connecticut-based online pharmacy, informed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September, 2019 that it had found N-Nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA in some supplies of Zantac and Ranitidine.
Many retailers including Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid and CVS took down the prescription along with over-the-counter Zantac formulas from their shelves, Sanofi, the brand-name manufacturer of Zantac and 14 generic manufacturers recalled the drug in the USA.
The FDA announced on April 1, 2020 that it had sent requests to manufacturing companies of all ranitidine products to withdraw prescription as well as over-the-counter ranitidine drugs from the market. The agency added that the latest FDA tests provedZantac had a risk to public health.
Zantac lawsuits are based on the claims that Sanofi and other companies were well aware of the risk of NDMA in Zantac but failed to inform the public about the dangers. People, who were diagnosed with cancer, especially stomach and bladder cancer, due to Zantac use, have the rights to file a compensation claim.
It isn’t the first time that NDMA contamination in drugs has been found. Contamination led to lawsuits after several batches of valsartanwere recalled. Zantac lawsuits claim that the drug actually forms NDMA in the body – a different scenario from valsartan contamination that happens during manufacturing process.
Why is NDMA Injurious to Our Body?
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is yet to come up with adequate studies to explain how exposure to NDMA through food or drink intake may produce long-term effect on human body. However, the studies are backed by enough evidences to show NDMA may cause carcinoma and even death in human and other animals. It’s specifically toxic to liver in humans and other animals.
The agency, in a public health statement, explains though they are yet to receive conclusive reports of the risk of cancers from NDMA, there are reasons to believe that exposure to NDMA through breathing, eating or drinking may increase the risk of cancer in humans. However, exposure to NDMA won’t necessarily cause health issues.
Organs, which are heavily affected by NDMA exposure, include brain, lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys and bladder, as per a report by the WHO (World Health Organization).
Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro urged the FDA in December, 2019 to pull down ranitidine from shelves and prohibit its sales in the US due to cancer risk.
Plaintiffs’ Claims
Individual Zantac lawsuits are based on the claims that the defendants i.e. the manufacturing companies failed to warn the potential users about the dangers of NDMA. The active ingredients in NDMA may trigger other side effects but these are not a part of claims put forward via lawsuits.
Lawsuits claim that ranitidine can produce NDMA in body following its exposure to stomach problems or nitrite found in some foods including preserved foods and grilled meat such as, hot dogs, bacon etc.