In a recent Zantac lawsuit, the plaintiff claims there’s a connection between Zantac and kidney cancer. The plaintiff, Steven K., is suing drug maker Sanofi-Aventis. He accuses the company of failing to notify the plaintiff or the medical community about the real risks of taking Zantac over the long-term, specifically as it relates to the possible connection between Zantac and kidney cancer.

The lawsuit states that the plaintiff used Zantac from the 1980s through 2019, taking the drug up to five times per week. The plaintiff says that he was originally informed about the medication by his physician when it was prescribed to him.

The plaintiff, however, says that he was not informed at any point in time about the possibility of developing kidney cancer. The lawsuit says that he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and underwent surgery in 2017 to remove his right kidney. Steven K. claims that he should have been told about the possibility of getting kidney cancer prior to taking this medicine on a regular basis.

The lawsuit explains that the drug was very successful from a marketing standpoint, evidenced by the drug’s sales figures as early as December 1986. Ten years later, the medication was available for purchase without a prescription, and then generic versions of the PPI were created as well.

As alleged by the plaintiff, the Zantac medications he took contained NDMA, a probable human carcinogen that has come up in recent company-led recalls of drugs containing valsartan. The lawsuit even states that Zantac poses a higher cancer risk than any of the drugs named in valsartan recalls because of allegedly high amounts of NDMA in the antacid medication.

The lawsuit states that testing found levels of NDMA in Zantac at 124 times higher than the highest amount found in recalled valsartan. The plaintiff says that he should have been warned about the dangers of long-term use of the drug, specifically as it related to Zantac and kidney cancer.

The lawsuit also includes claims that there were scientific studies about this issue that the drug maker should have been aware of, and that in failing to share these concerns with the public, left consumers at risk of developing serious medical problems, like kidney cancer, due to the high levels of NDMA.

Europe and some other drug companies have taken efforts to remove drugs containing ranitidine, a primary ingredient in Zantac, off the market. According to the plaintiff, the manufacturers have had notice about the connection between Zantac and cancer for some time yet failed to alert the public to the problems.

This failure to warn, according to the plaintiff, put him and others in danger of getting kidney cancer based on long-term use of the drug either via prescription or over-the-counter.

If you or someone you know was recently diagnosed with cancer and wants to know more about your legal options, set aside time to speak with an attorney today.

The Zantac and kidney cancer lawsuit is case 1:19-cv-24092-MGC in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida.