GSK, Pfizer and Sanofi escape US federal litigation over Zantac

GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim defeated thousands of lawsuits in the US federal court claiming that the heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, as a judge found the claims were not backed by sound science.

While the companies, which have all marketed the drug at different times, still face tens of thousands of similar lawsuits in state courts, the ruling by the US District Judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach, Florida, knocks out a significant portion of their potential liability.