GSK landed Zantac legal win

GSK PLC (LSE:GSK, NYSE:GSK) secured a key victory in a high-stakes personal injury case in Illinois, United States, concerning its heartburn medication Zantac.

A jury found that Zantac was not responsible for the plaintiff’s colon cancer, leading to the judge to reject a claim for $640 million in damages.

"This outcome is consistent with the scientific consensus that there is no consistent or reliable evidence that ranitidine increases the risk of any cancer, supported by 16 epidemiological studies looking at human data regarding the use of ranitidine,” GSK said in a statement.

Angela Valadez, an 89-year-old resident of Illinois, had claimed that prolonged use of Zantac (ranitidine) caused her to develop colorectal cancer.

It was one of the first among tens of thousands of similar lawsuits filed against manufacturers of Zantac, including GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim.

“GSK will continue to vigorously defend itself against all other claims,” the company added.