Jury Rejects Claim That Zantac Caused Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis of Illinois Woman

A Chicago jury handed down a defense verdict yesterday in a Zantac lawsuit that went to trial in state court, determining that GlaxoSmithKline’s recalled heartburn drug was not responsible for causing an Illinois woman’s colorectal cancer diagnosis.

The verdict was returned in a case was brought by Carrie Joiner, who alleged that Zantac pills distributed with high levels of the toxic chemical byproduct N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) led to the development of her cancer.

The jury received evidence that is similar to what will be presented in thousands of other Zantac lawsuits pending in courts nationwide, which have been filed since the FDA forced manufacturers to recall all versions of Zantac in 2019.

Prior to the Zantac recall, the widely used treatment for heartburn and acid reflux was sold at different times by GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim and various generic manufacturers. However, Joiner and other plaintiffs allege that users were not adequately warned that the active ingredient ranitidine is inherently unstable, and can convert to the cancer causing chemical during storage or transportation, increasing the risk of users developing bladder cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer and other injuries.

The Zantac litigation was initially focused in the federal court system, where claims brought in U.S. District Courts nationwide were centralized before U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings. However, before the first federal case ever reached trial, Judge Rosenberg issued a controversial ruling excluding all of the plaintiffs’ expert witness testimony, which was needed to establish that Zantac causes cancer.

Judge Rosenberg’s decision was based on an interpretation of the federal rules regarding the admissibility of expert testimony, resulting in the dismissal of all federal Zantac lawsuits. However, the ruling had no impact on tens of claims that continued to be filed in various different state court systems, including Illinois, Delaware and Connecticut, where different standards for the admissibility of expert witness testimony.

Zantac Defense Verdict

GlaxoSmithKline and other manufacturers have settled a number of Zantac lawsuits before they went to trial, and the Joiner case is only the second trial that was allowed to reach a jury verdict. The previous trial, involving claims against both GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim, also ended in a defense verdict.

In a press release issued after the verdict was returned on August 5, GSK indicated that it will continue to defend itself against all other Zantac claims.

GSK issued an earnings statement (PDF) issued last month, noting that there are several more Zantac trial dates set for the coming months, including a Zantac prostate cancer lawsuit in Florida state court that is slated to begin on September 23, a trial in Texas over bladder cancer from Zantac that is scheduled to begin on October 21, a trial in Nevada slated for September 28, 2026, and at least three trials set for Pennsylvania state court that will begin next year.

GSK probably faces the largest liability for its role in the development and sale of Zantac, and continues to dispute that there is scientific evidence establishing that Zantac causes cancer risks. However, it has reached a few settlements to resolve individual claims just before trial.

Following extensive discovery and pretrial proceedings, Pfizer and Sanofi have already agreed to pay hundreds of millions in Zantac settlements for claims pending in various different state courts. However, GSK has not participated in those agreements.