FeganScott filed a national class action lawsuit claiming that pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Sanofi, failed to warn consumers that the heartburn medication, Zantac, produces a clinically proven carcinogen in the body at levels far beyond what regulators consider safe.

According to the suit, Zantac and its generic active ingredient, ranitidine, became one of the world’s best-selling drugs through a massive advertising campaign that touted the drug as safe. However, the complaint cites studies that ranitidine, when metabolized, creates N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which the EPA, FDA and World Health Organization deem a carcinogen.

The lawsuit seeks to represent anyone who purchased the brand Zantac, either prescription or over-the-counter, and asks the court to set up a medical monitoring program to diagnose and treat any related cancers and demands punitive damages for defendants’ outrageous and intentional conduct.

In May 2020, FeganScott founder Beth Fegan was named to the steering committee in Zantac for her leadership expertise.