Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Zantac Class-Action Lawsuits

A federal judge has ruled that he won’t dismiss class-action lawsuits against several brand-name drugmakers brought by consumers over the potentially contaminated heartburn drug Zantac (ranitidine).

U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled that class-action lawsuits may proceed against Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim.

The companies, which all sold Zantac prior to it being recalled in 2019, are accused of failing to warn patients about the possible contamination of their ranitidine products with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is associated with an increased risk of cancer.

The plaintiffs’ allegations received a boost in April 2020, when the FDA said ranitidine should be pulled from pharmacies ― after finding that NDMA contamination can increase over time when the drug is stored above room temperature.