GSK PLC (LSE:GSK, NYSE:GSK) has welcomed a US court ruling in a case that had claimed the Zantac heartburn drug caused cancer.
The ruling by US district judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach, Florida, knocked out thousands of claims in federal court, though it does not directly affect tens of thousands of similar cases pending in state courts around the country.
In a statement, the FTSE 100-listed pharma giant said: “GSK welcomes yesterday's ruling by the Multi-District Litigation (MDL) Court. Following the 12 epidemiological studies conducted looking at human data regarding the use of ranitidine, the scientific consensus is that there is no consistent or reliable evidence that ranitidine increases the risk of any cancer”.
The court decided to exclude plaintiffs' epidemiological evidence and expert testimony based on their deficiencies and unreliability, and it dismissed all MDL cases alleging the five remaining cancers in the MDL (liver, bladder, pancreatic, esophageal, and stomach), GSK noted.
GSK said this “ensured that unreliable and litigation-driven science did not enter the federal courtroom.”
The company added it will continue to defend itself vigorously, including against all claims brought at the state level.
Shares in the company have plunged over claims that the stomach acid drug Zantac causes cancer.