In a recent development, Pfizer has reached a settlement in over 10,000 lawsuits that accused the company of failing to inform patients about potential cancer risks associated with the widely-used heartburn medication, Zantac. The lawsuits were filed in state courts across the United States, but Bloomberg News reports that while these agreements partially address Pfizer's exposure to the Zantac-cancer claims, the company's liability is not entirely resolved. The specific terms of the settlements have not been disclosed, and Pfizer has yet to provide a comment.

Zantac, an anti-heartburn medication, was originally brought to market in 1983 by Glaxo Holdings, which is now a part of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). By 1988, it became the world's top-selling drug as patients reported relief from conditions such as heartburn, ulcers, and acid reflux. However, Glaxo's patent for the active ingredient in Zantac, ranitidine, expired in 1997, leading to the development of generic versions of the drug by various pharmaceutical companies.

In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a request for drugmakers to remove Zantac and its generic equivalents from the market after detecting the presence of NDMA, a cancer-causing substance, in samples of the medication. Subsequently, thousands of lawsuits against Pfizer, GSK, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim began piling up in federal and state courts.

Last month, Sanofi, another pharmaceutical company involved in the Zantac lawsuits, reached an agreement in principle to settle around 4,000 lawsuits linking the medication to cancer. Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Bloomberg News reported that Sanofi will pay $100 million, amounting to approximately $25,000 per plaintiff. This settlement, subject to finalization, is expected to resolve most of Sanofi's Zantac-related lawsuits in state courts across the US, with the exception of Delaware, where the majority of the cases are still pending. In Delaware, Sanofi is facing roughly 20,000 lawsuits over Zantac.

Additionally, a judge in Delaware Superior Court in Wilmington is currently reviewing the fate of about 70,000 cases against Sanofi, GSK, Pfizer, and Boehringer Ingelheim. Meanwhile, GSK has already settled several Zantac-related lawsuits in California, although the specifics of those settlements have not been disclosed.

The recent development in the Zantac litigation is further complicated by the ongoing trial of a lawsuit filed by an 89-year-old Chicago-area woman, Angela Valadez. Valadez alleges that she developed colorectal cancer after using Zantac for almost two decades. The lawsuit was brought against GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim, with Valadez claiming that ranitidine, Zantac's active ingredient, transforms into the carcinogenic agent NDMA over time. GSK has expressed confidence in its position based on scientific evidence and looks forward to presenting its case during the trial.

The fallout from concerns surrounding Zantac has taken a toll on both Sanofi and GSK, amounting to a combined market capitalization loss of $45 billion in the summer of 2022. The impact of these settlements and ongoing litigation will continue to shape the legal landscape surrounding Zantac and its alleged connection to cancer.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is based on publicly available reports and statements made by the involved entities. The details of the settlements, as well as the final outcomes of the ongoing trials, may vary and should be verified from official sources.