THE DANGERS OF ZANTAC
Ranitidine , the active ingredient in Zantac and other drugs that prevent heartburn , is a histimine H2-receptor antagonist that inhibits the production of stomach acid . According to various studies , ranitidine ingestion leads to an increased risk of developing cancer . Such studies have shown that ranitidine ingestion results in increased levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine ( NDMA ) in the human body , which has long been recognized as a highly carcinogenic compound . The World Health Organization ( WHO ) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer ( IARC ) define NDMA as “ probably carcinogenic to humans .” Further , NDMA ’ s only commercial purpose in the United States is to induce tumors in animal studies , and it effectively causes cancer in almost every animal to which it is administered .
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE ?
In the 1970s , Glaxo , ( now Glaxo Smith Kline , or GSK Pharmaceuticals ), designed the ranitidine molecule . By 1983 , Zantac was approved by the FDA , and was immediately extremely successful . After a few years of sales , GSK sky-rocketed from the twenty-fifth , to the second highest grossing pharmaceutical company in the country . In 1993 , GSK entered into a joint venture with Warner Lambert to manufacture over-the-counter Zantac . GSK ’ s U . S . patent on ranitidine expired in 1997 , and generic forms of the drug entered the market . The following year , Warner Lambert and GSK split , and Warner Lambert retained control of the over-the-counter trademark in the United States . In 2000 , Pfizer acquired Warner Lambert , and just a few years later , Boehrigner Ingelheim acquired the rights to over-the-counter Zantac from Pfizer . Meanwhile ,
54 x The Trial Lawyer