JPML To Consolidate Zantac Lawsuits

JPML To Consolidate Zantac Lawsuits

Introduction

The U.S Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has decided to consolidate and centralize the growing number of Zantac lawsuits before U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg in Florida for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

There are more than 140 product liability and class action lawsuits pending in two dozen different federal court districts nationwide. Each lawsuit has similar allegations, stating that the active ingredient in Zantac, ranitidine, produces high levels of the known human carcinogen Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Plaintiffs claimed that exposure to the chemical for extended periods of time caused them to develop bladder cancer, kidney cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, and other forms of cancer along the digestive tract.

A citizen’s petition was filed with the FDA in September 2019, which resulted in the recall of Zantac indicating the drug should be considered a human carcinogen. In November, a group of plaintiffs filed a motion to centralize lawsuits as part of a federal MDL. Following the motion, the JPML issued a transfer order last week for consolidation.