GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.US) resolves second Zantac cancer lawsuit in California.

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.US) has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed in California regarding its popular heartburn drug Zantac in the United States, marking the second such lawsuit this month. The company announced that it has reached a confidential settlement with the plaintiff Boyd/Steenvoord, resolving the case that was originally scheduled to go to trial on April 2 in a California court. Former users of Zantac who have sued GlaxoSmithKline and other companies claimed that the active ingredient in the drug, ranitidine, can degrade under certain conditions and form a potential carcinogen called NDMA. These companies have denied these claims. GlaxoSmithKline stated that the settlement "reflects the company's desire to avoid the distraction of prolonged litigation."