Latest Developments on the Zantac Cancer Lawsuit
The Zantac lawsuits are now part of a multi-district litigation against Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim. The case is currently in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. There are 291 cases that are a part of the multidistrict litigation. This number will most likely rise at a rapid rate in the future because of the number of people who have taken Zantac. This could possibly mean thousands of lawsuits.
Where the Zantac MDL Stands Now
- Plaintiffs who filed a Zantac lawsuit before May 31, 2020, were required to submit a census form on or before July 21, 2020. Any plaintiff who failed to meet that deadline may be subject to sanctions, up to and including the dismissal of the case.
- Discovery has been opened in the case against the antacid drugmakers. This is where each side will get the opportunity to ask each other questions in order to learn evidence that can help their case or their defense. They’d do this through interrogatories, requests for documents and depositions. This will last for about 18 months for this case.
- As of this writing, fact discovery is set to be completed by December 20, 2021.
- The defendants intend to file a motion to dismiss the case under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This is nothing big though as it is a common move in all large lawsuits. There is hardly any chance that this will be granted by the judge. Still, the defendants will try to get the case dismissed on grounds such as the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case or the plaintiffs have not stated a claim.
- As of this writing, the motions to dismiss are due to the court on August 24, 2020.
- The court provided the defendants with additional time to file other motions to dismiss on different grounds in the lawsuit. These motions are not due until October 2020.
State Lawsuits for High NDMA Levels
- In addition to the cases in federal court, there are also cases that have been filed in state courts throughout the country. There is a large concentration of these cases in California courts.
- There have been over 40 cases filed in the state so far.
- The plaintiffs are seeking to merge their cases in California in a manner similar to the multidistrict litigation.
- The additional lawsuits that are being filed demonstrate that the alleged dangers of Zantac may be far greater than thought. For example, one California case was filed by a woman who claimed that taking Zantac while pregnant caused her son to develop testicular cancer as an eight-year-old child. The new lawsuits are alleging that different types of cancers that the plaintiffs claim were as a result of their use of Zantac.
- As of this writing, the lawsuits have been filed for liver cancer, stomach cancer, kidney cancer and bladder cancer.
Ranitidine Drugs Lawsuits May Grow Larger
Research is still being done regarding the exact effects of Zantac. There is still a lot to learn about the dangers of Zantac.
The Zantac litigation has the potential to become a multi-billion dollar lawsuit. According to the Barrow Law Firm, Zantac is also liable for “failure to warn” in states that require it.
The FDAs estimates that one in every 8,000 people who took the maximum dosage of Zantac could possibly develop cancer. The FDA has been known to understate the dangers of Zantac and private testing has shown that the contamination is much higher than what the public was initially told.
You or Your Family Member May Be Entitled to Financial Compensation for Zantac
If the FDA is correct, there may be as many as 2,000 people who developed cancer as a result of Zantac. Assuming each plaintiff gets $500,000 as a settlement amount, the total settlement in the MDL could exceed $1 billion. The settlement could even exceed that amount if the defendants settle the case.
Who Will Be in This Zantac Class Action?
Anyone who used Zantac on a regular basis for an extended period of time and was subsequently diagnosed with cancer will be a prospective plaintiff. Plaintiffs who were diagnosed with types of cancer that are closely linked to NDMA and the gastrointestinal system will likely receive the highest individual payouts in these cases. Some of these are:
- Liver cancer
- Stomach Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Intestinal Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Breast Cancer
The evidence will definitely be stronger with prescription Zantac. Largely because there’d be strong evidence with a history of use of the drug.
There is a spate of research now on NDMA and the type of cancer this compound can cause. The Sloane Memorial Cancer Center will release research results with a spotlight on cancers with the strongest ties to NDMA exposure.
