Posted On May 11, 2020 Personal Injury,Product Liability and Class Action News
Wutthichai Luemuang, 123rf.com
When you see “FDA approved” on medicine, you think it’s safe. Sometimes, though, that isn’t the case. Zantac received its FDA approval in 1983, and it took 36 years for people to realize that it causes cancer. By the time the FDA issued a recall in 2020, millions of people were exposed to N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from Zantac. NDMA is a known carcinogen responsible for almost two dozen types of cancer and that number is growing.
After being diagnosed with cancer caused by the popular medication, people are increasingly seeking Zantac cancer lawsuit attorneys to represent them. Lawsuits are expected to increase in the coming months and years as more people become aware that a medication that they thought was safe is actually deadly.
According to the CDC, exposure to high levels of NDMA over a short period of time and low levels over a long period of time are hazardous. Tests on animals have shown that NDMA exposure can cause liver disease and various types of cancer, including lung cancer and liver cancer.
While it’s best to avoid NDMA altogether, the FDA states that taking in 96 nanograms per day is acceptable. The administration believes that as long as humans stay within that limit, they will not be at risk.
Unfortunately, researchers discovered that Zantac has up to 31,000 times the recommended amount. That has put countless people at risk. Those who have developed cancer have filed Zantac cancer lawsuits to seek damages.
It’s surprising that a medication with such high levels of a carcinogen as deadly as NDMA could get FDA approval. When you take a closer look, you’ll understand how it managed to slip through the cracks for so long.
Ranitidine is the active ingredient in Zantac. As long as it isn’t exposed to heat, it’s fine. However, heat makes it unstable, and that causes it to generate high levels of NDMA.
You might think you can just keep your Zantac in a cool place, and you’ll be fine, but that isn’t true. Researchers at online pharmacy Valisure conducted a test that mimicked the digestive process. The researchers discovered that when your body metabolizes Zantac, the heat generated makes the active ingredient unstable. That means simply swallowing the medicine can fill your stomach with NDMA. That, of course, can cause cancer.
Researchers have long known that NDMA causes cancer, but for some reason, the risk for Zantac was largely ignored. Zantac’s original manufacturer, Glaxo (which merged into GlaxoSmithKline) published a study in 1981 on ranitidine’s metabolites in urine. The study apparently did not look for NDMA. The same company published another study six years later that analyzed the stomach contents of people who took ranitidine. This time, it did look for NDMA, but it used a faulty detection method.
Fortunately, scientists didn’t rely on the drug manufacturers to sound the alarm about Zantac and NDMA. Stanford University ran a study in 2016 that discovered that ingesting ranitidine increases NDMA excretion in the urine. That was followed by additional studies, including the groundbreaking research by Valisure and others. Finally, the FDA took Zantac off the shelves.
While a cancer diagnosis is heartbreaking, it’s even worse if you discover you have the illness due to corporate greed. Fortunately, you do have legal recourse and can sue the manufacturer for damages. This is the best way to hold the company accountable and to receive compensation for your medical bills. You can also use the money from a settlement to care for your family.
You might have a case if you regularly took a generic or name-brand form of Zantac. You could have taken it in any form or dosage, and it could have been over-the-counter or prescription.
You need three things to file a Zantac cancer lawsuit.
People who have been diagnosed with cancer due to Zantac have a wealth of emotions. They are frightened and worried. They are anxious, and they are angry. They are mad that drug companies ignored the evidence and allowed them to think that Zantac was safe. They are furious that their health was viewed as less important than corporate profits.
You can fight back against these drug companies. If you have a cancer diagnosis and have taken Zantac, reach out to us to see if you have a case.
Learn more about NDMA, those responsible for bringing Zantac to market and the people who discover the link to cancer on our main Zantac Cancer page, or call us at (866) 778-5500 for a free, confidential consultation.
