Two new pretrial orders issued in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida has accelerated the federal multidistrict litigation established for all Zantac lawsuits.
The first pretrial order was issued on April 10, after the formation of the multidistrict litigation arose from the recent Zantac recall. According to the order, the court appointed Sarah E. Johnston as "Interim Retailer Liaison Counsel."
The second pretrial order issued on April 15 established protocols to produce records needed for the litigation’s Initial Census for deceased and incapacitated Zantac claimants.
The court has also planned to assemble for an Initial Conference on May 12 via videoconference. Interviews for Plaintiffs’ Leadership Appointments will also be conducted via videoconferences scheduled for May 6 and 7.
Nearly 229 Zantac lawsuits are pending in the Southern District of Florida, which includes both personal injury lawsuits as well as class action complaints. The lawsuits and complaints are filed on behalf of individuals who alleged the heartburn drug for causing cancer.
Earlier in March, the U.S. Food & Drug Administrations (FDA) issued a notice to recall Zantac following which American Health Packaging suspended ranitidine tablets as the heartburn medication contained unacceptable levels of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen. The notice includes 11 lots of Ranitidine Tablets, USP 150 mg and 100 count Unit Dose Blisters. The company has informed its distributors to discontinue the tablets and has also arranged for the return of tablets in the market.
