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Zantac heartburn medicine, or ranitidine, has provided relief to millions of Americans, making it one of the top-selling prescribed and over-the-counter drugs on the market for the past 30 years. But in April 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required all manufacturers to immediately pull their ranitidine medications off the shelves due to their cancer risk.
For many patients with stomach, bladder or esophageal cancer, the move came too late, and they are now left to deal with the physical ramifications caused by a pharmaceutical giant who placed consumer safety second to their own profits.
A class action lawsuit filed against Zantac manufacturer Sanofi claims the company knew about the risk of the carcinogen N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in its ranitidine heartburn medicine since the 1980s, but failed to change the formula or provide warnings to medical professionals and consumers. Because the risk increases over time and with continual use, patients who have taken Zantac for years now find themselves battling a disease more life-threatening than the condition the medication was supposed to treat.
If you live in Missouri or Illinois, and you or a family member has been diagnosed with cancer after taking Zantac heartburn medicine, contact the class action attorneys at Cueto Law in Belleville at 618-277-1554. We can help determine if you have a case against Sanofi and the steps you can take to be compensated for medical bills, lost wages, and other costs incurred from your cancer treatment.
As a histamine-2 blocker, ranitidine reduces the amount of acid created by the stomach, making it ideal for the treatment of heartburn or ulcers. However, this active ingredient also contains unsafe levels of the carcinogenic NDMA, which only increase the longer the medication sits, when the product is exposed to high temperatures, and when ranitidine combines with nitrites in the body. The more Zantac a patient has taken and the longer they have taken it, the higher their risk of exposure to NDMA.
Because NDMA is found in many of the foods we eat, the FDA has established that a daily intake of 100 nanograms of NDMA is safe. However, studies found that a 150 milligram Zantac pill contained 2.5 million nanograms, and the recommended dosage to treat heartburn was 300 milligrams each day for four to eight weeks. For patients with chronic heartburn or stomach ulcers, the exposure that came with long-term treatment was significant.
Today, cancers caused by long-term Zantac use may include:
According to reports, Glaxo, Zantac’s original manufacturer, released a study in 1987 that found there was “no significant increase” in the amounts of NDMA in those who took ranitidine. However, researchers outside the company reported that the study “discarded all stomach samples that contained ranitidine because they could have ‘falsely high’ concentrations of nitrosamines, so any NDMA produced by the breakdown of ranitidine would not have been detected.”
Even with the knowledge their product could be potentially harmful to consumers, Glaxo continued to market Zantac heartburn medicine to doctors and patients with no warning labels about its carcinogenic risk. When Glaxo was purchased by Sanofi, the failure to disclose the dangers of ranitidine continued. The company voluntarily recalled Zantac in September 2019, and by April 2020, it was off the market completely due to an FDA recall.
Because of its unfair and deceptive acts regarding the link between ranitidine and cancer, Sanofi was hit was its first Zantac lawsuit filed by cancer patients in California.
If you have taken Zantac as a long-term heartburn treatment and believe your cancer diagnosis is associated with your ranitidine use, contact the Zantac lawyers at Cueto Law. With decades of experience representing Illinois and Missouri clients in class action lawsuits, our attorneys can help you secure the personal injury and punitive damage compensation you deserve. To schedule your free, no-obligation consultation, please call 618-277-1554.
If you have been diagnosed with cancer, it could be the cause.
You may be eligible for the Zantac class action lawsuit. Contact Cueto Law at 618-277-1554 for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless you recover.
At Cueto Law, you’re more than your case—to us, you’re family. While other law firms see only billable hours, our personal injury attorneys see the struggles and worries you face each day and channel them in the courtroom so we can fight insurance companies and corporations on your behalf.
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