According to Healthline, the ingredient Zantac can affect your heart. In addition to your heart, it can also affect:
- Your breathing and energy
- Your quality of mental health, including your mood and sharpness
- Your liver, which may have several adverse effects on your health
In addition to these potential side effects, it came to light in 2019 that taking medications containing ranitidine (the generic name of Zantac) could increase your risk of developing certain cancers.
Highlighting the Link Between Ranitidine and Cancer
Before June 2019, the general consumer was aware—or at least could be aware—of side effects of Zantac. These include:
- Problems affecting the liver, including possible liver failure
- Headaches
- Problems with your gut health, possibly including nausea or diarrhea
- Pneumonia
- Conditions that affect the nervous system
In June 2019, online laboratory and pharmacy Valisure informed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it had found another possible side effect of taking Zantac: cancer.
The heart of Valisure’s claim came from the discovery that ranitidine could break down after consumption into N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a chemical compound that has been linked to a risk of cancer. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, NDMA:
- Is a “probable human carcinogen”
- Is found in the production of rocket fuel (as well as wastewater)
- Is often unintentionally released into the atmosphere as a result of chemical processes
- Could cause severe liver damage
A lawsuit brought by 140 plaintiffs, documented by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, sheds light on the possible outcomes of ingesting unsafe levels of ranitidine. When consumers take medications containing ranitidine producing NDMA in toxic levels in their body, then multidistrict litigation (MDL) 2924 states that you could develop cancer.
Findings from the lawsuit suggest that:
- Patients who took ranitidine could be at risk of exposure to NDMA in levels 400 times greater than is “acceptable.”
- Patients who took ranitidine (a group which includes those who took Zantac) may be at risk for growing cancerous tumors of the type seen in laboratory animals dosed with similar levels of ranitidine.
- You could bring a lawsuit based on the recent findings of ranitidine’s instability, and its propensity to break down into NDMA in your body.
If you or a loved one developed cancer after taking Zantac, then speaking with a lawyer may help you understand whether you are eligible to join a mass lawsuit or bring an individual lawsuit against one or more parties.
Failing to Notify Consumers of a Cancer Risk May Be Negligence
While MDL 2924 and other lawsuits have yet to provide definitive legal outcomes, it seems that drug manufacturers—and possibly regulators—may have been negligent with respect to their assessments of ranitidine.
According to Reuters, these things happened between 1983 and 2019:
- The FDA approved Zantac (and in effect ranitidine) for the consumer market
- Drug manufacturer Glaxo Holdings Ltd (now GlaxoSmithKline PLC) sold prolific amounts of Zantac
- After Zantac’s patent expired, other drug manufacturers began producing and selling pharmaceutical equivalents to Zantac
- Millions of consumers took Zantac, generic ranitidine, and other medications containing ranitidine
The following also happened (or did not happen) during this period:
- Drug companies and the FDA failed to disclose that ranitidine in Zantac may cause cancer
- Consumers consumed unknown amounts of Zantac and generic ranitidine without being made aware that they would be put at an elevated risk of developing cancer
Emerging lawsuits suggest that these failures to discover or disclose ranitidine’s potential cancer-causing properties may be grounds for lawsuits against:
- Drug manufacturers who produced or sold products containing ranitidine
- The FDA
You or your loved one may be eligible to bring legal action if you developed cancer after taking a drug containing ranitidine, such as Zantac.
Laborde Earles injury was great for me they took care of me very fast and professional. If for any reason I need legal help they will be who I use.
ClientKnow Your Legal Options
If you or a loved one developed cancer after taking Zantac, generic ranitidine, or another medication containing ranitidine, then you may have grounds for a lawsuit. Some losses that you may have suffered include:
- The cost of diagnosing your cancer
- The cost of treating your cancer
- Pain and suffering related to cancer treatments and other effects of the disease
- Lost income
- Losses related to a death
You may be able to collect compensation for these and any other losses related to your or your loved one’s cancer, and you can pursue such compensation through a lawsuit. A lawyer will assist you with your legal needs and may also:
- Provide legal advice
- Answer your questions
- Defend your rights
You do not have to fight for any awards that you are entitled to on your own, call a legal team today.
I thank God for Digger & David. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t have been for them.
Rick Smith | ClientCall Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers Today
Zantac can affect your heart, liver, and kidneys. Ranitidine in Zantac has put countless people at risk of developing cancer. If you have suffered one or more health problems and believe that ranitidine could be the cause, call our team at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers today at (337) 777-7777 for a free consultation.
