GSK and Pfizer to appeal Delaware Zantac (NYSE: GSK) decision

GSK (NYSE:GSK) said it has begun appealing a recent ruling by a Delaware court that allowed tens of thousands of lawsuits in ongoing litigation related to allegations that its burn drug stomach, Zantac, is said to have caused cancer.

The British pharmaceutical maker said late Monday that it filed an appeal after Delaware Superior Court Judge Vivian Medinilla ruled in favor of more than 70,000 Zantac-related lawsuits in May.

Other defendants, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY), and Boehringer Ingelheim, also joined GSK (GSK) in filing an appeal which, if granted, will be submitted to the Delaware Supreme Court for review.

If the Delaware Superior Court rejects it, the companies intend to appeal directly to the Supreme Court, whose decision is expected later this year, GSK (GSK) said.

Meanwhile, GSK said a woman called Eugenia Kasza, who claimed that Zantac use caused her breast cancer, had decided to drop her case. She requested the voluntary dismissal of her case a few days before the start of the trial.

“GSK has not settled Ms. Kasza’s claim and paid nothing in exchange for the voluntary termination,” the company said.