Lawsuit Launched Alleging Link Between Zantac and Cancer

A managing partner at Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman in Los Angeles, California, attorney Michael Lin Baum has received multiple awards for his legal work. In 2019, the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 recognized Michael and his team as the Trial Team of the Year in the Mass Torts category. Recently, Michael Lin Baum’s team has filed a lawsuit alleging that the heartburn medication Zantac contains a chemical that causes cancer.

Also known as ranitidine hydrochloride, Zantac is prescribed not only as a remedy for stomach acid but also for gastric reflux, heartburn, and other gastrointestinal and throat problems. Since the 1980s, research has shown that one ingredient – N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) – may be carcinogenic.

In September 2019, the Food and Drug Administration said it was investigating the possibility that a 150 mg dose of Zantac exposes patients to 3,000 times the recommended daily dosage of NDMA. The lawsuit seeks damages for two plaintiffs in California and Pennsylvania. Defending the charges are five manufacturers: Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Chattem, Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Whistleblowers Expose Fraudulent Activity Against Federal Government

Michael Lin Baum

The president of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman in Los Angeles, California, Michael Lin Baum has litigated a wide variety of cases ranging from wrongful death lawsuits to catastrophic injury claims. Michael Lin Baum has also successfully defended whistleblowers who expose individuals or organizations that defraud the government.

As much at 10 percent of public expenditure in the United States may be diverted by waste and fraud. Obtaining money from the government by means of deception is prohibited under the U.S. False Claims Act (FCA). Passed during the Civil War to discourage vendors from defrauding the Union army, it brought profiteers to justice but was rarely used until the 1980s.
To date, billions of dollars have been reclaimed under the FCA and other similar legislation. Individuals who report fraud as “whistleblowers” are also eligible to receive a percentage of any recovered funds and are protected against retaliation from defendants.

Whistleblower cases fall into several categories, and can include overcharging or selling defective equipment to the Armed Forces or making false Medicare or Medicaid claims.