Lawsuits over Nexium, Prilosec Kidney Risks Filed in Various Courts

A growing number of lawsuits continue to be filed in courts nationwide over the side effects of Nexium and Prilosec, alleging that the popular heartburn drugs caused individuals to suffer chronic kidney disease, kidney failure and other serious injuries.

Late last week, four separate complaints were filed, two in federal courts in Louisiana and two in the Western District of Missouri, each raising nearly identical allegations that AstraZeneca withheld information about the kidney risks with Nexium and Prilosec.

Two of the plaintiffs, including Dinez Davis, from Louisiana, and Richard E. Foster, of Missouri, indicate that they suffered kidney damage due to Nexium. Two other lawsuits, filed by Isaac Ratshidaho, of Missouri, and Tagi Modicue of Louisiana, indicate they took both Nexium and Prilosec, and suffered various kidney injuries.

Nexium and Prilosec belong to a class of drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which have been aggressively marketing in recent years and are widely used by millions of people, often with little or no attempt to address the underlying cause of the heartburn or acid reflux. However, in recent years, serious questions have emerged about the safety of Prilosec and Nexium, with several studies suggesting that users may face an increased risk of kidney problems, including acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney failure.

The Dinez Davis complaint (PDF) indicates that she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2012, after using Nexium and other PPIs from about 2010 to 2012.

Richard Foster’s lawsuit (PDF) indicates that he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease as a result of his use of Nexium and other PPIs from about 2010 to 2016.

Tagi Modicue’s complaint (PDF) claims she took Prilosec and Nexium from about 2010 to 2012, and was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2012, and acute kidney injuries in 2013 and 2015.

According to Isaac Ratshidaho’s complaint (PDF), he also took both Nexium and Prilosec from 2011 to 2016. He was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2015, acute renal failure in 2016, and end-stage renal disease in 2016.

The cases join dozens of similar Nexium lawsuits, Prilosec lawsuits, Prevacid lawsuits, Protonix lawsuits,Dexilant lawsuits and other claims brought by individuals nationwide in recent months, and it is widely expected that thousands of additional cases may be filed in the coming months and years, as more individuals and families learn that kidney problems experienced in recent years may have been caused by the use of a proton pump inhibitor.

The first warnings about any kidney issues with PPIs were added to the drug labels in December 2014, indicating that there may be a risk of acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) risk from Nexium, Prilosec and other proton pump inhibitors. This condition involves inflammation of the kidneys, but plaintiffs maintain that the warnings do not go far enough to raise awareness about the serious risks associated with these medications.

In April 2015, a study published in the medical journal CMAJ Open found that Nexium, Prilosec, and other PPIs cause a 3 times higher risk of acute interstitial nephritis, but were also associated with a 2.5 times higher risk of acute kidney injury, which involves an abrupt loss of kidney function.

Earlier this year, a study published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine built on these findings, examining data on more than 10,000 participants over a period of more than 10 years, finding that the drugs were also associated with a higher incidence of chronic kidney disease.

In April 2016, researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs 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 after five years of use.