British pharmaceutical giant GSK has won another legal victory in one of several lawsuits filed against it in the United States by individuals who claim its drug Zantac caused cancer in them.
"The Florida state court has ruled in favor of GSK and other entities that were sued," according to a statement published on the London Stock Exchange website on Friday.
In early August, the group reported another favorable decision by a jury in Illinois (northern United States) in another case linked to Zantac.
In early June, however, GSK had fallen by almost 10% after a decision by a US court opening the way to trials over Zantac, accused by patients of having contributed to their cancer, and the group has appealed.
Ranitidine, better known by its trade name Zantac, used against heartburn and formerly available over the counter in the United States and Canada, was manufactured and marketed by several laboratories including GSK and the French Sanofi before being withdrawn in 2019.
Class action lawsuits and personal injury claims have been filed in U.S. courts after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned in 2019 that some ranitidine medications, including over-the-counter Zantac, contained low levels of an environmental contaminant (NDMA) considered a “probable carcinogen.”
GSK says scientific evidence shows there is no increased risk of cancer associated with the drug and says it will "continue to vigorously defend" itself against all charges.
GSK obtained a legal victory in the United States in December 2022 that covered several states, and has since announced several amicable agreements to avoid trials.
But the laboratory had nevertheless acknowledged at the beginning of the year that the litigation linked to Zantac continued to weigh on the group's results prospects.
GSK shares fell 0.19% to 1,593.00 pence on the London Stock Exchange at around 10:35 GMT in a sharply lower market.
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