First US trial over Zantac cancer claims set for November
- Claimants in the litigation allege that heartburn drug Zantac causes nine forms of cancer, including colorectal, breast and bladder cancer
- First approved in 1983, Zantac became the world’s bestselling medicine in 1988 and one of the first-ever drugs to top US$1 billion in annual sales
The first US trial over claims that discontinued heartburn drug Zantac causes cancer is now expected to take place in California state court on November 13, a lawyer for claimants in the litigation said on Friday.
Claimants in the litigation allege that Zantac causes nine forms of cancer, including colorectal, breast and bladder cancer.
A trial in a case brought by a different claimant had been expected next month, but it was called off after the pill’s British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the only defendant in the case, settled for an undisclosed amount without admitting liability.
Thousands of lawsuits over Zantac have been filed in California against GSK, Sanofi SA, Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim, which all sold the drug at various times.
The trial is meant to serve as a test of the claims’ strength, and its outcome could shape negotiations toward a broader settlement.
Not all the companies, which have repeatedly denied that Zantac can cause cancer, are named in each lawsuit. Which specific case will go to trial in November has not yet been determined, according to a spokesperson for GSK.
First approved in 1983, Zantac became the world’s bestselling medicine in 1988 and one of the first-ever drugs to top US$1 billion in annual sales. It was originally sold by a forerunner of GSK.