Jury Hears Zantac Cancer Evidence in Illinois Trial Against Boehringer Ingelheim

Trial is underway in a Chicago courtroom against Boehringer Ingelheim, with evidence being presented that indicates the drug manufacturer failed to properly investigate the risk of cancer from Zantac for decades.

Although Zantac (ranitidine) was sold by Boehringer Ingelheim and various other drug makers as a safe and effective heartburn treatment, all versions of the medication were recalled in 2019, after regulators discovered that the active pharmaceutical ingredient is inherently unstable and produces high levels of the chemical byproduct N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is a potent human carcinogen.

Since the recall, tens of thousands of Zantac lawsuits have been filed by users of the medication who developed various forms of cancer, including bladder cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer and other injuries. While many drug makers have reached agreements to settle claims over their role in the litigation, several lawsuits are still moving forward against Boehringer Ingelheim.

This current trial involves claims brought by Ronald Kimbrow and Martin Gross, who previously had their lawsuits end in a hung jury last summer. Both men indicate that they developed prostate cancer from Zantac, and their cases have been combined for retrial in the Cook County Circuit Court of Illinois, which got underway last month.

During the first two weeks of trial, testimony has been presented that suggests Boehringer Ingelheim ignored Zantac cancer evidence, and failed to investigate clear signs of problems with their drug, as well as science that suggested users may be exposed to cancer-causing chemicals.

The lawsuits claim the company placed profits before patient safety, by intentionally turning a blind eye to that data, and failing to provide users with any warnings. Kimbrow and Gross indicate this has left them with incurable cancers.

However, Boehringer Ingelheim representatives reject those claims, noting that they were not the original creators of Zantac and that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already decided which warnings the drug’s label needed to carry before the company began manufacturing it. In addition, company officials say they believe there is no evidence Zantac causes cancer.

The Cook County jury is hearing expert witnesses from both sides, and it is unclear when the trial will be completed.

February 2025 Zantac Cancer Lawsuits Update

The Zantac litigation was originally focused in the federal court system, but U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg issued a controversial ruling in 2022, determining that all of the plaintiffs’ expert witnesses were excluded from testifying at trial under federal evidentiary rules.

Appeals are currently being pursued to overturn that decision, but all Zantac lawsuits pending in the federal court system have been dismissed. However, the federal ruling did not have any impact on lawsuits filed in Illinois, California, Delaware and various other state courts, where different standards for the admissibility of expert witness testimony apply.

Last year saw progress on the resolution of thousands of Zantac lawsuits in state courts. In November, GlaxoSmithKline announced it would pay about $2.2 billion in Zantac settlements to resolve about 80,000 claims over its role in the development and sale of the heartburn drug, which have mostly been concentrated in Delaware state court.

In early 2024, Pfizer and Sanofi also agreed to pay hundreds of millions in Zantac settlements to resolve claims involving their versions of the medication.

Thousands of Zantac lawsuits still remain unresolved and continue to make their way through the state and federal court systems.