GlaxoSmithKline Agrees to Settle As Many as 80,000 Zantac Related Lawsuits
Zantac Lawsuit Update 2025 – As of October 2024, GlaxoSmithKline has reached a $2.2 billion settlement agreement with as many as 80,000 plaintiffs who claim they were harmed by contaminated ranitidine. For plaintiffs who accept the settlement offer, they may begin receiving payments as early as mid-2025.
In GSK’s press release about the settlement, they said, “The participating plaintiff firms are unanimously recommending to their clients that they accept the terms of the State Courts Settlement, which is expected to be fully implemented by the end of 2025.”
The amounts of the individual settlements will remain confidential and as with most of these types of settlements, the defendant will admit no wrongdoing.
Also it is important to know that this is not the end of all Zantac Lawsuits. Many more cases continue to come forward that are not part of the GlaxoSmithKline settlement and also against other manufacturers.
What Started the Zantac Lawsuits
Zantac lawsuits began after a massive recall in 2019. One of the ingredients used in Zantac is ranitidine. Recent studies indicated that ranitidine is unstable and when it ages or is exposed to extreme temperatures, it can break down into a chemical byproduct called N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). NDMA is a known cancer-causing agent.
In April of 2020, The FDA told all manufacturers to stop selling Zantac made with ranitidine in the United States. According to their press release, the FDA concluded that NDMA contamination can build up and become increasingly dangerous over time.
The FDA Website Said: “The longer the drug sits on the shelf, the greater the amount of NDMA in the drug and the FDA doesn’t know how long NDMA has been in Zantac.
Plaintiffs claim that the makers of Zantac either did know or could have known about the risks of using Zantac and continued to sell Zantac without any warnings to consumers.
What is N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
According to an FDA press release about NDMA:
NDMA is a probable human carcinogen (a substance that could cause cancer). In the summer of 2019, the FDA became aware of independent laboratory testing that found NDMA in ranitidine. Low levels of NDMA are commonly ingested in the diet, for example, NDMA is present in foods and water. These low levels would not be expected to lead to an increase in the risk of cancer. However, sustained higher levels of exposure may increase the risk of cancer in humans. The FDA conducted thorough laboratory tests and found NDMA in ranitidine at low levels. At the time, the agency did not have enough scientific evidence to recommend whether individuals should continue or stop taking ranitidine medicines, and continued its investigation and warned the public in September 2019 of the potential risks and to consider alternative OTC and prescription treatments.
According to a 2021 Study:
There was evidence of an increased risk of bladder cancer in ranitidine users, compared with nonusers, which was more marked with use for over 3 years of ranitidine. By contrast, there was little evidence of any association between proton pump inhibitor use and bladder cancer risk based on any use.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34028367/
But, like many initial studies, to be considered valid using the scientific method, other studies will need to be conducted that produce the same results. This argument was used in part to justify dismissing claims from the Florida MDL where lawsuits had been consolidated. The judge ruled there that the plaintiff’s expert witnesses could not offer testimony and that there was insufficient evidence to link the use of Zantac to cancer.
Summary: Zantac Lawsuit Update 2025
After several years of litigation it appears as though a large group of plaintiffs will get some compensation from one of the makers of Zantac.
There are still lawsuits pending against other manufacturers and new cases continue to pop up in multiple states.
But for some plaintiffs it appears as though their long struggle may be nearing an end with some media outlets reporting that plaintiffs who accept the settlement amount from GlaxoSmithKline may receive their awards as early as mid 2025.
Post Settlement Funding For the GlaxoSmithKline Zantac Settlement
If you are a plaintiff or an attorney representing plaintiffs in the GlaxoSmithKline Zantac Settlement, you may now be eligible to receive Post Settlement funding.
Even after settlements are reached in cases, various delays can hold up distribution of contingency fees for plaintiff attorneys and/or the settlement awards for plaintiffs. In large scale cases like with Zantac, delays can include a wait for final approval from a judge or just the wait for the defendant to distribute settlement checks.
In those situations, Balanced Bridge provides advances to attorneys and advances to plaintiffs on the pending fees or awards.
If you are an attorney waiting on your fees for the GlaxoSmithKline Zantac settlement and would like to discuss potential post-settlement funding – please feel free to contact us.
If you are a plaintiff in the GlaxoSmithKline Zantac Settlement, have received documentation of what your award will be, and would like to discuss potential funding – please contact us.
To talk to one of our legal funding specialists about getting help managing your law firm cash flow, please call (267) 457-4540 or email info@balancedbridge.com
Or to apply online, simply CLICK HERE and fill out our quick application.
About the Authors
Balanced Bridge Funding offers legal funding solutions for plaintiffs, plaintiff attorneys, attorneys, and law firms. We provide post-settlement advances and can help in situations where an agreement has been reached but there will be some delay until distribution of the contingency fee for attorneys and/or the settlement award for plaintiffs.
To talk to one of our legal funding specialists about getting help managing your law firm cash flow, please call (267) 457-4540 or email info@balancedbridge.com
Or to apply online, simply CLICK HERE and fill out our quick application.
