The British drug company GSK has agreed to pay up to $2.2bn to settle thousands of US lawsuits claiming its heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer.
GSK said: “While the scientific consensus remains that there is no consistent or reliable evidence that ranitidine [the generic name for Zantac] increases the risk of any cancer, GSK strongly believes that these settlements are in the best long-term interests of the company and its shareholders as they remove significant financial uncertainty, risk and distraction associated with protracted litigation.”