GSK Settles Zantac Cases After Claims Popular Heartburn Drug Causes Cancer
ForbesSEP 22 2023
GSK to Pay $2.2B to Settle Zantac Cancer Lawsuits
Above: GlaxoSmithKline (GSk) headquarters in London. Image copyright: Justin Tallis/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
British pharmaceutical giant GSK has agreed to pay up to $2.2B to settle most pending US state court lawsuits that claim its now-discontinued heartburn drug Zantac causes cancer.
Though the drugmaker struck the settlement earlier than expected, it denied any wrongdoing, stating there was "no consistent or reliable evidence" that Zantac could degrade into a carcinogen.
Zantac, whose chemical ranitidine is believed to form the carcinogen NDMA, first sold in the US in 1983 and topped $1B in annual sales in 1988. Different pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi and Pfizer, later marketed it.
The Spin
Narrative A
GSK's decision to settle these cases simply avoids the distraction of protracted litigation. As there is no scientific evidence backing claims of consumer harm from Zantac, the company will continue defending itself in all other Zantac cases based on facts and science.
Narrative B
GSK wouldn't be paying such enormous settlements if it wasn't hiding something. In fact, investigations have now shown the company was aware of Zantac's link to cancer as far back as the early 1980s, meaning GSK is liable for decades worth of unnecessary cancer diagnoses.
Cynical narrative
The vast majority of US health regulators have conflicts of interest with the food and pharmaceutical industries, which is why they promote these billion-dollar drugs rather than talk about underlying causes. For example, gastric reflux, which causes heartburn, could be prevented by simply walking a few thousand steps a day. The US government and its friends in big business are the main causes of American health problems.
Metaculus Prediction
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