High-profile drugs under the legal spotlight in 2023

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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has witnessed a surge in litigation. One factor driving the uptick in the pharmaceutical sector is the rise of copycat litigation. As mass tort activity amplifies, plaintiff lawyers are treating previously filed lawsuits as templates for new claims. Examples of the trend include steadily increasing nitrosamines litigation and allegations of laminal duct obstruction against the chemotherapeutic agent Taxotere (docetaxel), as Greenberg Traurig has noted. Additionally, plaintiff-affiliated labs are intensifying their efforts to test various products for potentially harmful chemicals.

Amidst this backdrop, the heartburn medication Zantac (ranitidine) has found itself at the center of a litigation storm. Data from X-Ante, a litigation analysis firm, reveals the drug is the most frequent drug target of mass tort TV advertising in 2023 based on estimated ad s…

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  • September 20, 2023
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First Zantac trial slated for February 2023

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The California State Court Judge overseeing litigation related to Zantac (ranitidine) issued a pretrial order scheduling the first of four bellwether trials for February 13, 2022, in Oakland.

Honorable Judge Evelio M. Grillo for the California Superior Court of Alameda County will preside over the litigation. Before the cases head to trial, Judge Grillo will verify that the experts tapped by the plaintiffs and defendants used sound logic in arriving at their scientific conclusions. Then, if plaintiffs’ experts persuade the judge, the first bellwether trial will proceed.

The heartburn medication Zantac, launched in 1983, was the best-selling drug in history in 1996. First developed by Glaxo Holdings Ltd, ranitidine remained popular until FDA yanked it from the market in 2020. The agency noted that the drug frequently contained the potentially cancer-causing contamin…

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  • June 28, 2022
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