On April 1, 2020, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that manufacturers would need to remove all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market. Ranitidine is the generic version for the brand medication commonly known as Zantac.
Since then, drug manufacturers have been named in numerous personal injury lawsuits involving patient who were diagnosed with cancer after being treated with Zantac.
If you or a loved one suffered illness or your loved one passed away from Zantac cancer, you may be wondering what you should do to potentially win compensation on behalf of your or your loved ones suffering. One of the most common questions that comes up is, can you file a lawsuit on behalf of a loved one who passed away from taking Zantac? We have put together this guide to help answer this question and provide steps on what you should do if your loved one died from Zantac.
On the market since the early 1980s, Zantac is the over-the-counter brand name for ranitidine. It is an acid-suppressing medication for those suffering from heartburn and acid reflux.
The recall of Zantac came after the FDA confirmed that this medication contained high levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a chemical that has been linked to cancer. NDMA levels can increase over time if the drug is stored above certain temperatures and combined with stomach acid.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Adverse Reporting System (FAERS) published the following numbers from people taking Zantac from 1983 through 2020:
Zantac has been linked to numerous types of cancers, including:
There is evidence that Zantac manufacturers knew about the dangers of the medication and its link to cancer-causing agents, but failed to disclose this to consumers. Given the significant use of prescription and over-the-counter ranitidine medications over the past few decades, thousands of people face potentially severe serious health risks.
If you lost a loved one who took Zantac, you could seek financial compensation on their behalf. With the help of a Pennsylvania Zantac lawyer, you can file a wrongful death lawsuit.
A wrongful death lawsuit is filed on behalf of the deceased by a family member or personal representative against another person or company who can be held accountable for that person’s death.
If your spouse or loved one had a history of taking Zantac, was diagnosed with cancer, and consequently died, you could have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Families usually receive compensation for damages suffered by the deceased before their death, damages to their estate, and their own damages. These damages can include the:
The most notable lawsuit involving Zantac is MDL 2924, which according to the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), MDL has 140 individual actions.
Some of the declarations include that:
If you choose to move forward with legal action on behalf of your loved one based on the danger of Zantac, then you may help confirm that more lawsuits related to this medication are in order.
If your loved one died from cancer related to taking Zantac, one of the first steps that you should take is to collect relevant evidence you will need to file a lawsuit.
Helpful evidence in a Zantac case can include, but is not limited to:
Two of the most critical elements that your lawyer will need to prove in your Zantac case include:
A successful Zantac wrongful death lawsuit will show that the drug companies are responsible for causing death and that the damages sustained by the deceased directly resulted from the manufacturers’ negligence.
If your loved one died from taking Zantac, seek the legal advice of a skilled Zantac attorney. IPG Law Groups, LLC, a highly experienced firm of clinician attorneys and victim’s rights advocates is here to assist the families of Zantac and other ranitidine medication victims, and potentially help you win the compensation you or your loved one deserve.
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