GSK Plc reached a settlement for another US lawsuit claiming the drugmaker’s blockbuster heartburn medication Zantac causes cancer.
The UK drugmaker didn’t disclose the value of the settlement in a statement Wednesday. The case, which was scheduled to begin trial in California state court on Nov. 13, will be dismissed, it said. GSK shares rose as much as 2.3% in London trading.
A number of former Zantac users have sued GSK after the drug was found in 2019 to contain a probable carcinogen called NDMA. The US Food and Drug Administration forced Zantac and its generic versions off the market in 2020 after determining that NDMA hadn’t been introduced into the drug, but formed in the medication itself, either during storage or at elevated temperatures.
The company also settled three breast-cancer bellwether cases in California related to Zantac, it said, without giving details. GSK will be dismissed from these cases.
The settlements “reflect the company’s desire to avoid the distraction related to protracted litigation,” it said. “GSK does not admit any liability in the settlements and will continue to vigorously defend itself based on the facts and the science in all other Zantac cases.”
(Updates with GSK shares in second paragraph)
