Study Illustrates Strong Evidence Over Zantac Use And Cancer

Study Illustrates Strong Evidence Over Zantac Use And Cancer

Introduction

Last week, a study was published in the medical journal Cancers, which indicated that users of the recalled heartburn drug Zantac are three-times more at risk to develop gastrointestinal cancer due to the production of the cancer-causing chemical N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) by the active ingredient ranitidine.

Ranitidine Hydrochloride is a drug sold under the name of Zantac, used to treat and prevent ulcers in the stomach and intestine. GlaxoSmithKline first received FDA approval for Zantac in 1983. Ranitidine belongs to a group of drugs called histamine-2 blockers and works by reducing the amount of acid the stomach produces, treating conditions such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. It is also used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other conditions in which acid backs up from the stomach into the esophagus, causing heartburn.

Researchers from the University of Alabama conducted research to evaluate the link between ranitidine in Zantac and gastrointestinal cancer. The researchers examined the adverse events reported to the FDA about the use of different types of medications used to prevent or treat heartburn. The medications included proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and H2 antagonists, which were compared according to their proportionate reporting ratios (PPR).

The research showed that the overall rates of gastrointestinal cancer for ranitidine had a PPR of 3.66. This ratio demonstrated that the rate of gastrointestinal cancer with ranitidine use tripled the risk among its users as compared to the users of other heartburn drugs.

It further noted that some specific types of cancers are strongly associated with Zantac side effects, which include:

• Colorectal cancer, affecting Zantac users 16 times more than those who used other heartburn drugs.
• Pharyngeal cancer, which is nine times more likely caused by Zantac use.
• Anal and gallbladder cancer, both of which are four times more likely to be caused by Zantac use.

The researchers concluded that the study provided direct support for the assertion that NDMA contaminated ranitidine is associated with the occurrence of gastrointestinal cancer.

Zantac manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, is facing hundreds of lawsuits, each claiming that the manufacturer failed to warn about the presence of carcinogen NDMA. The lawsuits are centralized under MDL No: 2924 in the Southern District of Florida, presided by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.