Thousands Claim A Blockbuster Drug Gave Them Cancer
Big Take15 Feb 2023

Thousands Claim A Blockbuster Drug Gave Them Cancer

In 2020, the enormously popular heartburn medication Zantac was pulled from store shelves after samples were found to contain the probable carcinogen NDMA.

The drug has since been re-introduced with a new formula that is considered safe to use as directed.

But tens of thousands of people who took the old version of the drug, made with the active ingredient ranitidine, are now suing Zantac’s maker, then called Glaxo and now known as GSK. They claim the medication gave them cancer and are seeking compensation. The company is pushing back, saying there is no conclusive evidence or scientific consensus that ranitidine can degrade and form NDMA in harmful amounts under normal conditions.

Reporters Anna Edney, Susan Berfield, and Jef Feeley dug into the claims and counterclaims for Bloomberg Businessweek, and they join this episode to talk about Zantac’s rise and fall and where these lawsuits are headed.

And Dr. Jaap Venema, chief science officer at US Pharmacopeia, explains how potential carcinogens get into drugs–and what pharmaceutical companies and government agencies are–and should be–doing to ensure the safety of the medications we take.

Read the story: https://bloom.bg/3Yxzno2

Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK

Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(855)

After Trump's Major Tariff Setback, The World Asks: What Now?

After Trump's Major Tariff Setback, The World Asks: What Now?

From Brussels to Beijing, the United States’ largest trading partners are digesting the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn President Trump’s signature tariffs — along with his threats to impose new,...

23 Feb 17min

SCOTUS Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs

SCOTUS Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs

The US Supreme Court on Friday handed President Donald Trump one of the biggest losses of his second term, striking down his signature tariff plan. On today’s Big Take podcast, Sarah Holder talks to o...

20 Feb 18min

The Sixth Bureau Episode 3: Suck, Squeeze, Burn, Blow

The Sixth Bureau Episode 3: Suck, Squeeze, Burn, Blow

In Episode 3 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security to the Paris Air Show, and then watch him develop a valuable source, despite his b...

20 Feb 21min

Trump’s Plan to Dismantle the Department of Education

Trump’s Plan to Dismantle the Department of Education

The Department of Education has been a target of critics for decades. Republicans in the Oval Office have repeatedly tried to shrink the agency, and in his second term, President Trump has vowed to el...

19 Feb 19min

The Race to Buy Real Estate in Mecca

The Race to Buy Real Estate in Mecca

For the first time in history, Saudi Arabia is allowing international buyers to purchase property in Mecca. This regulatory shift has ignited a building boom, raising concerns over affordability and o...

18 Feb 17min

Where’s the Beef? Inside the Fragile Cattle Market

Where’s the Beef? Inside the Fragile Cattle Market

Inflation in the US has cooled from pandemic peaks, but there’s a grocery product telling a different story: beef. The price of uncooked ground beef soared by the most since June 2020 in government da...

17 Feb 14min

The Sixth Bureau, Episode 2: The Spy’s Diary

The Sixth Bureau, Episode 2: The Spy’s Diary

In Episode 2 of The Sixth Bureau, a limited-run series from The Big Take, we learn how China’s Ministry of State Security recruits experts in the West — and why intelligence officers shouldn’t keep th...

13 Feb 30min

The Sixth Bureau, Episode 1: Your Friend From Nanjing

The Sixth Bureau, Episode 1: Your Friend From Nanjing

It’s an open secret that the Chinese government has engaged in a global campaign to acquire intellectual property from foreign rivals. At the center of that campaign is the Ministry of State Security,...

13 Feb 12min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
popradet
stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
i-retten
rss-gukild-johaug
fotballpodden-2
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
nokon-ma-ga
rss-ness
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
bt-dokumentar-2
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dannet-uten-piano