A woman has filed a Nexium lawsuit against AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and its related companies alleging that she suffered acute kidney failure from Nexium.

Plaintiff Linda R. states that Nexium, a popular proton pump inhibitor drug, is “defective, dangerous to human health, unfit and unsuitable to be marketed and sold in commerce and lacked proper warning to the dangers associated with its use.” She claims she suffered acute kidney failure from Nexium.

Linda is a 60-year-old Kentucky resident who was prescribed and ingested Nexium 40 mg beginning in January 2015 up through March 2016. The Nexium lawsuit states that on March 11, 2016, she was hospitalized for acute kidney failure for 15 days.

“As a result of using Defendants’ Nexium 40 mg, Linda [R.], was caused to suffer acute kidney failure after taking Nexium 40 mg, and was caused to sustain severe and permanent personal injuries, pain, suffering, and emotional distress,” the acute kidney failure from Nexium lawsuit states.

Nexium is one of several commonly used proton pump inhibitor drugs. They work by blocking the proton pump of the stomach which inhibits the secretion of gastrointestinal acids.

“In inhibiting the stomach’s proton pump, Nexium 40 mg causes inflammation of the kidneys’ tubules resulting in an immunogenic injury to the kidney through haptenization, antigen mimicry, and/or neo-antigen formation,” the Nexium lawsuit states.

This essentially means that the inflammation causes an immune response in the individual. According to Linda, this inflammation “is the cause of the vast majority of acute kidney injuries, and can lead to chronic kidney disease, the upstaging of chronic kidney disease, and end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis.”

The Nexium lawsuit goes on to say that the makers of the proton pump inhibitor drug knew about the risk of kidney failure from Nexium, yet “willfully and intentionally misrepresented the risks.” AstraZeneca allegedly had plenty of information available to know about the risks associated with the use of their drug, including acute kidney failure from Nexium.

A study published last year in the Journal of Nephrology concluded that for patients who develop acute interstitial nephritis and do not have it treated could, in fact, go on to develop chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. These conditions would require dialysis or transplantation.

“Defendants concealed and continue to conceal their knowledge that Nexium 40 mg can cause kidney injuries from Plaintiff, other consumers, and the medical community,” Linda’s Nexium lawsuit alleges.

“Specifically, Defendants have failed to adequately inform consumers in the prescribing medical community against the serious risks associated with Nexium 40 mg and completely failed to warn against the risk of CKD [chronic kidney disease] and ESRD [end-stage renal disease] to this day.”

The plaintiff has brought forth a number of counts against Nexium’s manufacturer including negligence, strict products liability, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation and omission, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment as well as violation of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act.

As a result of her alleged acute kidney failure from Nexium, Linda is seeking compensatory, restitution and general damages in addition to punitive damages, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, pre-and post-judgment interest and any additional relief as deemed just and proper by the court.

The Acute Kidney Failure from Nexium Lawsuit is Case No. 5:17-cv-00117-DCR, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.