Kidney Risks with Nexium, Prilosec, Other PPIs Highlight Concerns Over Long-Term Use of Heartburn Drugs

Concerns are mounting over the potential risk of kidney injury from side effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), raising questions about the long-term use of the popular class of heartburn drugs, which includes blockbuster medications like Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, Prevacid and others. 

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are designed to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach, and are widely used for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), as well as heartburn, ulcers in the stomach and small intestines, and inflammation of the esophagus.

Drugs that belong to the class include some of the biggest selling medications in the U.S., with Nexium alone generating an average of $6 billion per year in sales before it became available as a generic.

Although the medications are widely believed to be safe, and many individuals continue to take the drugs for years to avoid the return of acid reflux or severe heartburn episodes, a number of potential side effects have been linked to proton pump inhibitors in recent years, including bone fractures, heart problems, infections and dementia.

One of the more recent concerns to emerge is a potential increased risk of acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, acute interstitial nephritis and other kidney problems linked to Nexium, Prilosec and other proton pump inhibitors.

In April 2015, a study published in the medical journal CMAJ Open found that side effects of acid reflux drugs may increase the risk of kidney injury and acute interstitial nephritis, which involves inflammation that can lead to kidney failure.

That research was followed by a study published earlier this year in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine, which also found an increased risk of chronic kidney disease with use of proton pump inhibitors. Users of Nexium, Prilosec and other heartburn drugs may face a 50% higher risk when compared to non-users.

Researchers concluded that PPI may lead to chronic kidney disease through recurrent acute kidney injury, leading to recommendations that doctors provide patients with information about the risk and recommend alternatives to long-term drug use, such as lifestyle changes.

As a result of these findings, a growing number of individuals diagnosed with kidney problems in recent years are now considering potential Nexium lawsuits, Prilosec lawsuits or other claims against the makers of proton pump inhibitors, involving allegations that the drug makers knew or should have known about the kidney risks, yet failed to warn consumers and the medical community.

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, such as Nexium. This condition causes reduced kidney function, and if prompt treatment is not received, it may lead to kidney failure.

However, many critics suggest that the PPI kidney warnings do not go far enough, as many people take Nexium, Prilosec and other drugs in this class for years and years, often without any clear reason other than remote symptoms of acid reflux or heartburn that have since resolved.

If information had been provided about the link between PPI and kidney injury, many individuals may have avoided severe injury by stopping the drugs for periods of time to determine if symptomatic treatment was needed.