Paul Tassin  |  July 25, 2016

Category: Legal News

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Nexium-Side-EffectsA Tennessee man is suing pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca over what he claims is Nexium induced kidney damage.

Plaintiff Charles B. claims he used the heartburn medication Nexium on several occasions between July 2003 and May 2008 as a treatment for peptic disorders including gastroesophageal reflux disease and duodenal ulcer disease.

In May 2008, he says, he was diagnosed with “severe, drug-induced, Acute Interstitial Nephritis” while he was still taking Nexium as prescribed.

About a year later, he says he was diagnosed with severe chronic active interstitial nephritis. Charles says that as a result of this condition, he has to undergo dialysis three times a week and is now a candidate for a kidney transplant.

Charles believes his kidney problems were caused by the Nexium he took for his peptic disorders. He says he would not have used Nexium had he been properly made aware of the risk of Nexium induced kidney damage.

As a result of this alleged Nexium induced kidney damage, he says he had endured “severe and permanent injuries requiring hospitalization, mental anguish, emotional distress” and will need ongoing medical treatment for the rest of his life.

The Risk of Nexium Induced Kidney Damage

According to Charles’s Nexium lawsuit, Nexium is a heartburn medication in a class of such drugs known as proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs. Nexium works by reducing the amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, Charles says.

PPIs are allegedly some of the most widely prescribed medications in the U.S.: in 2013, over 15 million patients used PPIs in the U.S., resulting in over $10 billion in associated sales.

Nexium alone accounted for $5.7 billion in sales in 2005 and over $5.2 billion dollars in 2008, Charles says.

Despite its popularity, Nexium has been the subject of hundreds of reports of injury, according to Charles. He alleges defendant AstraZeneca, the maker of Nexium, received reports of Nexium induced kidney damage as early as 2004.

Charles also cites clinical studies that found increases in kidney injuries in association with Nexium treatment. He cites a study from 2015 in which researchers found a 250 percent increase in acute kidney injuries in elderly patients who were newly prescribed PPIs.

He says other recent studies have found a 20 to 50 percent increase in the incidence of chronic kidney disease associated with long-term use of PPIs. Chronic kidney disease can progress to the point of requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant, Charles says.

He says reports like these, as well as clinical studies and post-market surveillance, put AstraZeneca on notice of the risk of kidney problems associated with Nexium.

Yet AstraZeneca did not respond by alerting the medical community or the public in general about these risks, Charles says. He claims the company has wrongfully continued to represent that Nexium does not pose a risk of kidney injuries.

Charles’s Nexium lawsuit raises claims for strict products liability, infliction of emotional distress, fraud, negligence, misrepresentation, and breach of warranty. He is seeking an award of damages exceeding $75,000, plus punitive damages, court costs and attorneys’ fees.

The Nexium Lawsuit is Case No. 2:16-cv-02549 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

In general, acid reflux medication lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

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