Nexium and Prilosec product liability and personal injury kidney failure lawsuits are being investigated against AstraZeneca, the drugs manufacturer. These drugs and others in the same class are known as Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs). There several hundred claims under investigation alleging chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, acute interstitial nephritis, renal failure, and kidney failure after the use of Proton Pump Inhibitors.
According to experts, there are an increased risk of both acute and chronic kidney injury from proton pump inhibitor side effects. Proton Pump Inhibitors, are blockbuster heartburn drugs, which includes Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, and Prevacid and others.
Proton Pump Inhibitors reduces the acid in the stomach, and are popular drug treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn, peptic or stomach ulcers and esophageal acid damage.
Proton Pump Inhibitors, A Multi Billion Dollar Industry
Proton Pump Inhibitors are a huge billion dollar pharmaceutical revenue stream in the U.S., with Nexium raking in $6 billion per year in sales. The television and print ads are awash in PPI drug advertising, especially since these drugs are available over the counter.
PPIs and Kidney Damage Link
Nexium, Prilosec and other proton pump inhibitors are linked to an increased risk of acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, acute interstitial nephritis and other kidney problems.
In an April 2015 report in the medical journal CMAJ Open, researchers found that PPIs may increase the risk of kidney injury and acute interstitial nephritis, an inflammatory kidney disease that can lead to kidney failure. Once the kidneys fail, patients are doomed to chronic dialysis or waiting for kidney transplantation.
In an February 2016 report in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found an increased risk of chronic kidney disease with use of proton pump inhibitors. Users of Nexium, Prilosec and other PPI heartburn drugs may face a 50% higher risk of chronic kidney disease when compared to non-users.
According to researchers, PPI may lead to chronic kidney disease through recurrent acute kidney injury. The researchers recommended that doctors provide patients with a detailed risk analysis, suggest alternative types of treatments and avoid indiscriminate use of these potentially dangerous group of medications.
Most recently, in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, researchers compared the acid reflux drug kidney risks among users of PPIs and a different group of heartburn drugs, known as histamine H2-receptor antagonists, or H2 blockers.
Researchers found that users of Nexium, Prilosec or other PPIs may be 96% more likely to develop kidney failure and 28% more likely to develop chronic kidney disease.
Over the five year period, 15% of all PPI users developed chronic kidney disease. The researchers also found that the longer the medications are taken, the greater the risk of developing chronic kidney disease.
Injured individuals diagnosed with chronic kidney problems are now considering Nexium and Prilosec lawsuits against the makers of proton pump inhibitors, claiming that the drug makers knew or should have known about the kidney risks, and yet failed to warn patients and doctors.
2014 FDA Warning Label Change
In December 2014, the FDA required a number of warning label changes, adding information for the first time about the risk of acute interstitial nephritis seen among users of proton pump inhibitor.
