Benzinga -
- U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in Florida has dismissed about 50,000 claims associated with GSK Plc (NYSE: GSK), Pfizer Inc (NYSE: NYSE:PFE), Sanofi (EPA:SASY) SA (NASDAQ: SNY), and Boehringer Ingelheim, claiming that the heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, as a judge found the claims were not backed by solid science.
- The move does not directly affect tens of thousands of similar cases pending in state courts around the country.
- The litigation initially included claims of over ten types of cancer allegedly linked to Zantac but was later narrowed to bladder, esophageal, gastrointestinal, liver, and pancreatic cancer.
- Citing a Sanofi spokesperson, Reuters reported that the decision "significantly decreases the scope of the litigation potentially by over 50%," with the remaining litigation being only in state court.
- GSK said the company welcomed the decision, and Pfizer said it was pleased by the outcome.
- The first state trial is currently scheduled to begin in February in California.
- In August, the plaintiff dismissed GSK's first scheduled Zantac related-cancer trial out of 3,000, noting that it did not settle the claim and has not paid anything in exchange for the voluntary dismissal.
- Price Action: SNY shares are down 2.62% at $47.28, and GSK shares are down 3.16% at $36.72 during the premarket session on the last check Wednesday.