Sanofi, the company in question, has announced that they have reached a preliminary deal to resolve approximately 4,000 legal cases in the United States. These cases are connected to the discontinued medication Zantac, which has been linked to cancer. This information was shared on a Wednesday.
Sanofi has not revealed the financial aspects of the agreement. This deal, which is yet to be fully confirmed, aims to settle a significant number of legal disputes against the French pharmaceutical company in U.S. state courts. However, Delaware, where most of these cases are currently pending, will be excluded from this resolution.
Sanofi chose to settle without admitting any fault, stating that their decision is aimed at preventing the financial burden and continuous interference of the legal proceedings.
“From the beginning, Sanofi has firmly stood by the Zantac legal proceedings and intends to maintain this stance,” the company declared in an official statement.
Sanofi continues to grapple with approximately 20,000 legal claims concerning Zantac in Delaware’s state judicial system. A presiding judge in the case.
The Delaware Superior Court in Wilmington is currently considering the outcome of approximately 70,000 legal cases involving Sanofi and other defendants, such as GSK, Pfizer, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
GSK, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Pfizer have not yet provided any comments regarding the inquiries made to them. In the meantime, both the accusers and the accused are anticipating the judge’s decision on whether the presented scientific data is adequate to substantiate the plaintiffs’ allegations that Zantac is linked to cancer.
In 2022, pharmaceutical companies experienced a notable victory as a judge dismissed approximately 50,000 consolidated lawsuits with similar allegations, which were being handled in a federal court in Florida.
The judge determined that the expert testimonies provided by the plaintiffs, suggesting a link between Zantac and cancer, lacked strong scientific backing. Consequently, the plaintiffs are seeking to overturn this decision. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical companies have consistently argued that Zantac users were not exposed to hazardous levels of the cancer-causing chemical, NDMA.
Jennifer Moore and Brent Wisner, the primary lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the Delaware and California lawsuits, expressed satisfaction on Wednesday regarding Sanofi’s settlement agreement. They continue to pursue legal action against other defendants, specifically GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim. Moore mentioned that they are proactively preparing for numerous trials in California state court this year.
First introduced in 1983, Zantac quickly gained global recognition as the top-selling medication in 1988 and one of the pioneering drugs to surpass $1 billion in annual revenue. Initially marketed by a predecessor of GSK, it later changed hands, being acquired by Pfizer, Boehringer, and eventually Sanofi.
In 2019, certain manufacturers and pharmacies ceased Zantac sales upon discovering the presence of NDMA in some tablets. Several tests revealed that the active component in Zantac, ranitidine, could degrade into NDMA over time or when exposed to high temperatures.
Numerous lawsuits emerged, as individuals claimed they contracted cancer following Zantac usage. Plaintiffs asserted that the involved companies either knew or should have known about the cancer risks associated with ranitidine and failed to inform consumers accordingly. In 2020, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration requested that manufacturers remove the drug from the market. Presently, Sanofi offers Zantac360, a revised heartburn medication containing famotidine as its active component.
