Court Appoints Partner Roopal Luhana to Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for Zantac MDL
Chaffin Luhana LLP, a national plaintiffs-only law firm, is pleased to announce that Founding Partner Roopal P. Luhana was recently appointed by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) in the In re: Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation (S.D.FL.). Luhana was also named Chair of the ESI/Document Production Committee.
The Zantac MDL was established by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) on Feb. 6, 2020. All federally filed Zantac lawsuits are now consolidated (and future federal cases will be transferred) to Judge Rosenberg in the Southern District of Florida, where pretrial proceedings will take place.
“I’m honored that Judge Rosenberg appointed and entrusted me to assist in steering this litigation. I believe the position allows me and my firm to actively advocate for our clients and plaintiffs generally.” said Luhana, one of 13 women chosen for leadership. “You should be able to trust that when taking a medication – prescribed or over the counter like Zantac (ranitidine) – that you would be safe from potential exposure to carcinogens resulting in cancer, which is what is alleged in this case. I’m excited and ready to move this litigation forward with my colleagues, so we can resolve these issues efficiently and fairly for all plaintiffs.”
Most recently, on April 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) requested that manufacturers withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market immediately.
This was the latest step in an ongoing investigation of a contaminant known as N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine medications (commonly known by the brand name Zantac). The FDA has determined that the impurity in some ranitidine products increases over time even under normal storage conditions, and when stored at higher than room temperatures, the NDMA levels increase significantly and may result in consumer exposure to unacceptable levels of this impurity. As a result of this immediate market withdrawal request, ranitidine products will not be available for new or existing prescriptions or OTC use in the U.S.
People who used Zantac for years to treat various conditions such as ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), common heartburn, and more, are now understandably concerned about their potential exposure to NDMA, and what that means for their health. Some have already been diagnosed with cancers linked to NDMA.
Plaintiffs filing lawsuits against Zantac manufacturers argue that the defendants were aware of the risks associated with ranitidine for decades, yet concealed these risks from healthcare providers and the general public.
Chaffin Luhana currently represents thousands of consumers who used Zantac/ranitidine and were diagnosed with cancer.