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A Vancouver man has filed a Zantac cancer class action lawsuit alleging some ranitidine-containing medications sold in Canada contain a potentially cancer-causing impurity.
Ranitidine is the active ingredient in medications that treat stomach problems, ulcers, heartburn, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
In Canada, ranitidine is sold under the brand name Zantac, though generic versions of the drug are also available. It is sold as an over-the-counter drug or by prescription.
In September 2019, Health Canada announced that it was investigating a potential N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) impurity in some ranitidine drugs.
Shortly after this announcement, several drug manufacturers issued recalls of ranitidine medications due to the presence of NDMA. These drug manufacturers, which are named as defendants in the Zantac class action lawsuit, include Sandoz Canada Inc., Apotex Inc., Pro Doc Limitée, Sanis Health Inc., and Sivem Pharmaceuticals ULC.
Plaintiff Gary Dussiaume says he had a prescription for ranitidine and took the medication from 2018 until Sept. 26, 2019 when his family doctor reportedly switched his medication. He had previously taken prescription and over-the-counter ranitidine medication on and off for a number of years, the Zantac cancer class action lawsuit states.
The plaintiff notes that NDMA was not listed as a component of the ranitidine medication and cancer was not mentioned as a potential risk to consumers. Now Dussiaume says he’s experiencing prolonged and serious mental distress along with an increased risk of developing cancer due to potential long-term exposure to NDMA.
Dussiaume would not have ingested the ranitidine medication if he had known that he would also be consuming carcinogens, according to the Zantac cancer class action lawsuit.
He filed the Zantac class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and a proposed Class of Canadians who ingested, purchased, and/or were prescribed ranitidine that was contaminated with NDMA.
More than a dozen companies, including manufacturers, merchants and distributors of ranitidine-containing medications are named as defendants in the Zantac cancer class action lawsuit.
Dussiaume accuses the defendants of putting the ranitidine medications on the market even though they should have known that the drugs posed an unreasonable risk of harming consumers.
The defendants also failed to issue a timely recall of the affected drugs when they knew about the potential Zantac cancer risks, Dussiaume alleges. He suggests the companies failed to implement appropriate quality control testing to ensure the medication was safe for consumption.
The Zantac class action lawsuit asserts claims for negligence, failure to warn, unjust enrichment, waiver of tort, battery, and other violations of Canada law.
A similar Zantac cancer class action lawsuit was filed last month in Quebec.
Canada is not the only country that’s faced with NDMA-contaminated Zantac. Several Zantac recalls have been issued in the United States over concerns of NDMA contamination and consumers are filing Zantac cancer lawsuits against the drug manufacturers and distributors. Plaintiffs are alleging they developed stomach cancer or bladder cancer after ingesting Zantac.
Have you taken Zantac over the years? Let us know in the comments below.
Dussiaume is represented by Charney Lawyers PC and Rice Harbut Elliott LLP.
The Canadian Zantac Cancer Class Action Lawsuit is Gary Dussiaume v. Sandoz Canada Inc., et al., Case No. S1911469, in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada.
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109 thoughts onCanadian Files Zantac Class Action Alleging Cancer Risk
I have been taking Zantac 75s and 150s for as long as I remember,
I,m 74 and just getting over fighting throat cancer, won,t know outcome
for a couple months. had last treatment, couple of weeks ago.
Consisted of 35 radiation and 2 Chemo treatments. would like to be part of class action lawsuit.
I have been taking Zantac for a while now because of stomach acid. But I realized that my stomach gets heavier it feels like there is something heavy on my chest.
My father was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal/stomach cancer in February 2020. He passed away March 19th. He took prescription ranitidine for many years, but stopped taking in in the last 10 years before his death. He lived a healthy lifestyle and can’t help but think this may have caused this.
I was taking Zantac for over 30 years and in December 2018, I was diagnosed with Esophaguses cancer. Wondering how I can join this class action suit. Please contact if you can direct me in the right situation.
I too Zantac and ranitidine for over 15 years for reflux mainly and indegestion. I was diagnosted in March 2018 with stage 4 esphogist cancer. I have been undergoing chemo treatment every two weeks for a year. How do I enter the class action suit
I took Zantac 150 mg per day from March 2016 until it was removed from the shelves. In February 2020 I was diagnosed with colon cancer. how do I join the lawsuit
I have also taken Zantac for inflammation for years!
I was also prescribed ranitidine by my doctor. When I found you could buy it over the counter, I began purchasing my own. When it was prescribed, it was covered by my Blue Cross medical plan. I still have an unopened box that I could not return as it was purchased at Dollarama, and they do not take returns nor give refunds. This was disturbing news when I found out about the Ranitidine and what they were using…poison. I have already been through cancer and this sort of thing causes me great anxiety.
I was also prescribed ranitidine by my doctor. When I found you could buy it over the counter, I began purchasing my own. When it was prescribed, it was covered by my Blue Cross medical plan. I still have an unopened box that I could not return as it was purchased at Dollarama, and they do not take returns nor give refunds. This was disturbing news when I found out about the Ranitidine and what they were using…poison. I have already been through cancer and this sort of thing causes me great anxiety.
I was prescribed ranitidine while doing my chemo treatment for breast cancer?