Sanofi takes $186M hit on the heels of Zantac recall

Sanofi was among a slew of pharmas to announce sweeping recalls of heartburn med Zantac tied to a probable carcinogen scare. Now, that recall has taken a big bite out of Sanofi's bottom line.

Sanofi took a €169 million ($186 million) write-down (PDF) on Zantac (ranitidine) in the fourth quarter following its October global recall of the drug. The French drugmaker retrieve the products because tested lots had unacceptably high levels of a nitrosamine impurity called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a suspected carcinogen.