Zantac Litigation 101

Health Risks of Taking Zantac (Ranitidine)

Ranitidine is the generic name for the more widely known medication Zantac, which was developed to treat common gastrointestinal conditions, including acid indigestion, heartburn, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The problem with Ranitidine is that it includes NDMA, a carcinogenic, semi-volatile organic chemical that exists in soil, some foods and even drinking water. It’s also produced during industrial processes. For example, NDMA is used to manufacture aviation fuel and industrial lubricants. It’s also found in Zantac.

High levels of NDMA have the potential to damage multiple organs in our bodies, including the pancreas, bladders, lungs, kidneys, and stomachs. Nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, jaundice, headaches, and dizziness may all be symptoms of overexposure, though of course, they can have many other causes. NDMA overexposure has also been linked to a wide range of cancers:

  • Stomach cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Bladder cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Intestinal cancers
  • Prostate cancer
  • Leukemia and other cancers of the blood

Allegations Against Zantac Manufacturers

The main allegations made by the Plaintiffs in the Zantac (Ranitidine) class action lawsuits are:

  1. Defendants (Ranitidine/Zantac manufacturers) concealed the Zantac–NDMA link from consumers in part by not reporting it to the FDA
  2. By failing to disclose information on the risks of Ranitidine to consumers, manufacturers engaged in “unfair and deceptive” practices as defined by the California Legal Remedies Act.

If you were diagnosed with any of these cancers after using Ranitidine, you may want to discuss the link between your illness and NDMA with your physician. You may also want to consult an attorney who specializes in product liability or, more specifically, Ranitidine cases.

FAQs

What Kind of Damages Can Victims Recover?

If you can establish a link between your illness and your consumption of Ranitidine, you may be entitled to monetary damages in a lawsuit. Damages are typically calculated by considering such factors as:

If you can establish a link between your illness and your consumption of Ranitidine, you may be entitled to monetary damages in a lawsuit. Damages are typically calculated by considering such factors as:

- Past and future medical expenses

- Past and future pain and suffering (physical and mental) experienced during your illness, medical treatment, and recovery

- Past and future wage loss

- Diminished earning capacity in the past or future  

- Loss of enjoyment in the past or future

- Punitive damages

What Should I Expect When I Meet with an Attorney?

An attorney will also have quite a few questions for you. You should be prepared to discuss:

- Which ranitidine products you’ve used

- How frequently you used the products and the dosage you took

- Whether a doctor recommended or prescribed the products or you made the decision yourself

- Other medications you used concurrently with Ranitidine

- Your medical symptoms

- Any diagnoses you’ve received

- Any other health conditions you may have had when you started taking Ranitidine

- The treatment you’ve received in connection with the illness you believe was caused by Ranitidine

- The financial, physical, and mental costs you’ve endured due to your illness

What Are My Legal Choices When Filing Suit?

There are three main options for victims looking to file suit against Ranitidine/Zantac manufacturers. These are:

- Join the Ranitidine class action suit already in progress. Class action suits are often filed when thousands of individuals have been harmed in similar ways by the same product. Class action suits are litigated in federal court.

- Participate in Multi-District Litigation (MDL). MDL trials are similar to class action suits, in that multiple plaintiffs join together in one suit. The decision to try cases under MDL rules is usually made by a judge when individual plaintiffs live in different states or suffer disparate symptoms.

- Bring suit individually. This is the costliest way to pursue litigation because you will pay the expenses of pursuing your case out of your settlement. But it gives you the maximum level of power to direct the course of your trial.

What is the Cost of Pursuing a Ranitidine Lawsuit?

As with many other kinds of personal injury cases, plaintiffs’ attorneys generally take Ranitidine cases on a contingent fee basis. That means that if you win or settle your suit, your attorney will take a portion of the money you recover—usually about one-third of the amount you’re awarded, minus the expenses of pursuing your case.

If you lose your case, generally speaking, litigation will cost you nothing. Be sure you fully understand the terms of your fee agreement before hiring a lawyer.

Colin