Zantac MDL Defendants Awarded Summary Judgment in ‘Designated Cancer’ Cases

MIAMI — The Florida federal judge overseeing the Zantac (ranitidine) MDL docket has awarded defendants summary judgment in all cases involving “designated cancers,” ruling that the plaintiffs’ experts’ reliance upon animal studies failed to support their opinions that the drug causes bladder, esophageal, gastric, liver, and pancreatic cancers.

In a 341-page order issued Dec. 6, Judge Robin L. Rosenberg of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida found the experts failed to explain how and why they could have extrapolated their opinions to humans.

Scientific studies have shown that ranitidine can transform into a cancer-causing molecule called …