People are already beginning to come forward to claim that ranitidine caused their cancer. After taking the medications for decades, they are now receiving diagnoses of a variety of cancers. It is possible that the Zantac recall gave many individuals, including some here in Ohio, the connection they were missing regarding why they ended up with cancer.
One woman who recently received a diagnosis of a type of breast cancer referred to as ductal carcinoma. She did not understand how this could have happened and began doing some research. When Zantac and other ranitidine medications began being recalled for the presence of a human carcinogen, began connecting the dots.
The Florida woman took ranitidine for more than two decades believing it was safe to do so. As she conducted her research, she located a study from 2008 that surprised her. The study indicated that women taking ranitidine regularly face a 240 times greater risk of receiving a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma, which is the cancer her doctor told her she now has. Her lawsuit distinguishes itself since it is the first in the country, so far, to address this study and allege that the manufacturers of ranitidine knew or should have known that their products could cause this specific type of breast cancer.
Many people here in Ohio and elsewhere are alleging that the makers of ranitidine medications put their profits before patient safety. The Zantac recall did not necessarily present manufacturers with new information, it simply brought it to the attention of the public, which was kept in the dark for decades. It is possible there are other studies as reputable as the one this woman cites that indicated this medication could cause certain types of cancer. In the coming months, more of them could come to light and answer questions for many cancer patients and their families.