Pfizer reaches settlement in over 10,000 cancer lawsuits related to Zantac

Financial terms of the settlements were not immediately disclosed for the discontinued over-the-counter drug that was used to treat heartburn

Pfizer Inc has reached a settlement in more than 10,000 lawsuits alleging it concealed the cancer risks associated with its Zantac heartburn drug, marking a significant development in the ongoing litigation.

The agreements encompass cases filed in various state courts across the United States but do not fully resolve Pfizer's exposure to Zantac claims, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Financial terms of the settlements were not immediately disclosed.

Concerns about potential liabilities related to Zantac had previously led to a combined market value loss of about $45 billion for the drugmakers in the summer of 2022. However, their shares have since rebounded, particularly following news of prior settlements.

Other settlements around Zantac cases

Last month, Bloomberg reported that one of the manufacturers of Zantac, Sanofi, agreed to pay over $100 million to resolve around 4,000 Zantac cases.

Another drug manufacturer of the drug, GSK has also settled some Zantac cases before they reached trial.

Various pharmaceutical companies have owned Zantac throughout its more than 30-year tenure as one of the most popular antacids in the US.

Pfizer has not sold Zantac products in nearly 15 years.

News of Pfizer's settlement emerged in a filing in a state court in Delaware related to the Chicago trial. More than 70,000 Zantac lawsuits have been filed in Delaware, where the court is deliberating on the admissibility of scientific evidence underlying the cases.

Zantac: Background and manufacturing

Zantac, initially developed by GSK and Warner-Lambert, was introduced to the US market as a prescription drug in 1983 before becoming an over-the-counter heartburn treatment in 1996. Sanofi, which acquired the brand in 2017, recalled it in 2019 following tests that revealed the presence of the likely carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in the drug and its generics.

The drug was used to treat heartburn and worked by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed these findings in 2020 and ordered the removal of all versions of the medicine from the market. Sanofi has since reintroduced Zantac without ranitidine, its active ingredient, and is now using famotidine, the active ingredient in competitor Pepcid.