Medicine is rigorously tested for safety by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) before it hits the market. Even once it becomes available, it continues to be regularly monitored in order to ensure that it is up to a certain level of safety.
When an unforeseen problem develops with a drug and the safety of its use comes into question, the FDA may initiate a recall of this medication. Recalls occur for a variety of reasons, including the drug being:
A health hazard
Mislabeled or packaged improperly
Potentially contaminated
Poorly manufactured
One of the most recent over-the-counter medication recalls was for the popular heartburn medication Zantac and all generic ranitidine products, the active ingredient within the drug. Recent investigations from the FDA found that that the levels of the contaminant N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) could increase over time or when the drug was stored in too high of temperatures.
Read our recent blog to learn about the cancer-causing effects of high levels of NDMA.
Protecting Your Health and Legal Rights
Whether you are taking Zantac or another ranitidine, it’s crucial that you take a few steps in order to both protect your health and safety as well as your legal rights for potentially filing a lawsuit against the manufacturer.
Stop taking the product at once. Once you learn of the recall, you should stop taking the drug and safely dispose of it.
Call your doctor. After disposing of the drug, contact your doctor for an alternative medication that does not contain NDMA.
Save all receipts and documents of taking the drug. If you find out in the future that you developed cancer as a result of taking the product, you want to make sure you save all documentation of having taken it so it can be used as evidence.
Learn more about the recall. To learn more about recalls and recent news about Zantac, you can visit the FDA website for updated information that may apply to you.
Contact a Zantac Cancer Lawyer
If you developed cancer or another health condition as a result of taking Zantac, McNabola & Associates is here to stand in your corner. Our legal team has over 60 years of combined legal experience advocating on behalf of those injured due to defective products. We are not afraid to stand up against large, powerful companies who negligently sold a defective drug without the proper use of warning labels.
We will review your case for free and fight hard to hold manufacturers and other responsible parties accountable for their disregard for human health and safety.
Contact our Chicago product liability attorneys at (312) 888-8700 to get started with a free case review.
