GSK PLC (LSE:GSK, NYSE:GSK) has successfully refuted claims that its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer after an Illinois jury found that the product was not responsible for plaintiff Carrie Joiner's colorectal cancer.
Joiner had alleged that she developed cancer from a carcinogenic contaminant called NDMA in the blockbuster pill.
Zantac was marketed by GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim. The companies face thousands of lawsuits in the US after the US Food & Drug Administration in 2020 requested the drug be pulled from the market due to concerns that its active ingredient, ranitidine, could degrade into NDMA.
Most cases are in Delaware state court, where a judge allowed over 70,000 lawsuits to proceed in June.
The companies are appealing this decision. Previous trials have seen mixed outcomes, including a significant 2022 ruling in favour of the drugmakers by a Florida federal judge.
In a stock exchange statement on Tuesday, GSK said: "This outcome is consistent with the scientific consensus that there is no consistent or reliable evidence that ranitidine increases the risk of any cancer, supported by 16 epidemiological studies looking at human data regarding the use of ranitidine. GSK will continue to vigorously defend itself against all other claims."