The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has effectively taken Zantac off the market by issuing a voluntary recall. Although participation is optional in a voluntary recall, many retailers have taken the medication off of their shelves and have stopped filling prescriptions. Even the maker of Zantac stopped producing it in early 2020. These steps make Zantac extensively difficult to find anywhere on the market. However, the FDA did not officially ban Zantac.
Zantac Bans
The FDA has two methods of addressing problems with medications while they are available in the market: voluntary recalls and mandatory recalls. A voluntary recall includes a warning to the public about the dangers of taking a medication. It also includes a notice to the manufacturer and retailers asking them to remove the medication from the market.
The recall can be a specific dosage of a medication or include all of a medication. In this case, the FDA issued a voluntary recall of Zantac and all ranitidine medications. Ranitidine is the active ingredient in Zantac and is at the heart of the NDMA problem.
A mandatory recall is an order for the manufacturer to stop selling the medication to retailers in the United States, an order for retailers to stop all sales immediately, and a declaration outlawing the medication according to the FDA’s guidelines. If a mandatory recall for Zantac was used, it would effectively be banned in the United States. However, the FDA only issued a voluntary recall. It is still legal to buy and sell Zantac that already exists.
What to Do If You Currently Take Zantac
If you currently take Zantac, there are steps that you should take to protect yourself. Begin by consulting your doctor to see if it is possible to transition off of Zantac for another medication. It is important to consult your doctor first as quick changes in medication can be dangerous for your health, especially if you have a chronic condition that needs Zantac to be managed properly.
Once you are able to transition off of Zantac, see your doctor for diagnostic testing. Cancer and many of the other conditions that Zantac can cause develop slowly over time. Diagnostic testing can show if you need further treatment for these conditions. If your doctor identifies any of these conditions, seek treatment for them as soon as possible.
After you have started treatment for a condition, you may want to consult a lawyer. A lawyer can analyze your case and see if a lawsuit can help you recover compensation for your related expenses. Throughout your treatment process, keep detailed notes so that you can have a better idea of the documents that your lawyer may need for a lawsuit.
FDA Plans
Now that the FDA has taken Zantac off the market, it plans to continue testing and researching Zantac and similar medications. The FDA’s initial tests did not show that there was an abundance of NDMA in Zantac. However, other sources of evidence were so convincing that it issued the recall. Although the FDA struggled to reproduce the test results, other organizations successfully made the case to them.
The problem with the FDA’s tests is how NDMA forms in Zantac. NDMA is a byproduct of ranitidine as it breaks down, either by aging or through digestion. Tests showed the subjects had increased levels of NDMA in their urine after taking Zantac. Further research is needed to fully understand the potential dangers of ranitidine.
Class-Action Lawsuits
A class-action lawsuit is a lawsuit brought by a group of plaintiffs (in this case, Zantac victims) against a single defendant (the makers of Zantac). Class-action lawsuits are a way of improving conditions for both sides. It allows multiple plaintiffs and legal teams to leverage resources to sue a much larger and well-funded entity, while it lets the defendant deal with a single lawsuit instead of hundreds or thousands of costly individual lawsuits.
It also benefits the legal system by combining many trials, which could take years to settle individually, into a single trial effectively preventing a backlog of very similar cases. Harvard Health Publishing and other reputable entities are reporting on the class-action lawsuits building against the makers of Zantac.
Settlements vs. Trials
If you file a personal injury lawsuit, it is possible that it will settle out of court. Some cases never make it to trial. They often settle when both parties become impatient waiting for a court date since it can take a long time. Some cases are strong enough that the parties will settle out of court. Some cases that go to court may not receive a settlement if the case does not have enough evidence.
Contact Us Today
If you or a loved one were injured after taking Zantac, you may be able to seek compensation from the manufacturer. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 635-1144 to speak with our legal team. We can analyze your case and help you decide the next steps to take.