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The British pharmaceutical giant GSK (NYSE:GSK) has for the first time reached a settlement in the U.S. over a lawsuit alleging that its discontinued heartburn medication Zantac causes cancer, the company announced on Friday.
The settlement with Californian resident James Goetz prevents the first such case from going to trial next week. The case Goetz filed in California state court that was set to begin on July 24 will be dismissed following the settlement, the company said in a brief statement.
Calling it a “confidential settlement that reflects the Company’s desire to avoid distraction related to protracted litigation in this case,” GSK (GSK) did not admit to any liability.
The company said it intends to “vigorously” defend itself in the remaining Zantac cases “based on the facts and the science.”
Zantac, also known as ranitidine, was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2020 after the FDA became aware that the drug led to the formation of unacceptably high levels of a chemical called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a potential carcinogen.
However, companies that sold Zantac are battling lawsuits over its alleged carcinogenic effects. Previously, Pfizer (PFE) and Sanofi (SNY) settled with Goetz late last year.
