Zantac and ranitidine cancer claims

These claims allege that ranitidine — sold as Zantac and as store-brand equivalents — can degrade into NDMA, a probable human carcinogen, and that long-term users developed cancers as a result. The FDA requested the withdrawal of all ranitidine products from the market in April 2020.

Reviewed by Omar A. Cooper, Esq. · Last updated September 3, 2026

What the litigation is about

In April 2020 the FDA asked manufacturers to withdraw every ranitidine product from the US market, citing NDMA levels that increase over time and with storage temperature. That withdrawal is the factual anchor of the litigation.

The claims are strongest where use was long-term and the diagnosis is among those the litigation focuses on.

Who may qualify

Eligibility in this litigation generally turns on:

• sustained use of Zantac, generic ranitidine, or a store-brand equivalent;
• a diagnosis of one of the cancers this litigation concerns;
• the timing of use relative to the diagnosis;
• the deadline in your state, which for this litigation is a live issue.

What we will ask you for

A review moves quickly when you have these to hand — and none of them are required to call:

• pharmacy records, which are the single best proof of long-term use;
• prescription history from any prescribing physician;
• purchase records for over-the-counter use;
• the pathology report and diagnosis date;
• the treating oncologist’s records.

No outcome can be promised in any mass tort, and eligibility is not the same as recovery. What an eligibility review gives you is a straight answer about whether a claim exists and whether it is worth pursuing.

Sources: FDA — request for withdrawal of all ranitidine products, April 2020 · U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation — pending MDL statistics

Common questions