Nexium is a popular heartburn drug, belonging to a class of similar drugs known as proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs. PPIs are used to reduce the amount of acid made by the stomach.

Despite the popularity of Nexium, the medication has been linked with some serious complications, including a connection between Nexium and stomach cancer. According to recent studies, patients taking Nexium may face double the normal risk of stomach cancer. For patients who have to take Nexium for longer periods of time or at higher dosages, the risk may be even greater. More recently, studies have linked the stomach flu and kidney damage to Nexium.

More and more patients are turning to litigation, alleging that they were not adequately warned about the link between Nexium and stomach cancer risk. These plaintiffs allege that AstraZeneca, the drug’s manufacturer, failed to give adequate warning to both the public and the medical community about the complications associated with the drug.

Basics of PPI medications

Millions of Americans are prescribed PPI medications each year. One of the most popular PPI drugs is Nexium, which is also sold under its generic name, esomeprazole magnesium. Nexium is manufactured by AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

PPI drugs like Nexium work to treat heartburn by reducing the gastric acid in a person’s stomach. Other popular PPI drugs include Prilosec and Prevacid. Many of these drugs are available over the counter.

Although PPI drugs are popular, these drugs have been connected with a number of complications, including stomach cancer and kidney problems. Some users of PPI drugs claim that they were not adequately warned about the risk of some of these side effects.

Stomach cancer

Stomach cancer forms in the lining of the stomach, according to the National Cancer Institute, beginning in the innermost layer of the stomach lining and moving outwards as the condition progresses. Eventually, stomach cancer can metastasize and move to other parts of the body.

Symptoms of stomach cancer may start very mild, including indigestion, stomach discomfort, bloating after eating, mild nausea, loss of appetite, and heartburn. Unfortunately, these symptoms may be easily mistaken for other conditions. In the later stages of the cancer, symptoms may include blood in the stool, vomiting, unexplained weight loss, stomach pain, jaundice (yellowing of eyes and/or skin), fluid build-up in the abdomen, and trouble swallowing.

Stomach cancer may be treated through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, chemoradiation, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. A doctor will determine the best treatment option based on the stage of the cancer and the health of the patient.

There are a variety of risk factors for stomach cancer, and males are more likely than females to suffer from it. These risk factors include:

• Having several gastrointestinal conditions including:
  • Heliobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection of the stomach
  • Chronic gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)
  • Pernicious anemia
  • Intestinal metaplasia (a condition in which the normal stomach lining is replaced with the cells that line the intestines)
  • Gastric polyps
• A diet consisting of salted, smoked foods and lacking in fruits and vegetables
• Eating foods that have not been prepared or stored properly
• Old age
• Smoking cigarettes
• A family history of stomach cancer

More recently, Nexium and other PPI drugs have been linked to stomach cancer in scientific studies.

Nexium and stomach cancer risk

Patients have reported suffering from a number of serious long-term side effects after using Nexium, including stomach cancer.

Stomach cancer only makes up 1.7 percent of cancer cases in the U.S. every year; the overall risk is relatively small. But people taking Nexium may increase that risk—in some cases, up to eight times the normal risk.

A recent study looked at tens of thousands of patients over the course of ten years. Some of these patients took PPI medications like Nexium, and some took H2 blockers.

The use of PPI drugs was found to more than double the risk of developing stomach cancer. For patients who used PPIs daily, the risk was more than four times higher than for patients who only took the drug once a week. When patients used the drug for more than a year, the Nexium and stomach cancer risk increased to five-fold, and after three or more years, to eight times the risk.

While the study did not definitively prove a cause-and-effect connection between PPI drugs and stomach cancer, it concluded that doctors should “exercise caution when prescribing long-term PPIs.”

Filing a Nexium stomach cancer lawsuit

For some patients to be treated for Nexium long-term side effects, they may simply be taken off of the medication. For others, unfortunately, side effects may be more permanent in nature. Those individuals may be able to file a Nexium stomach cancer lawsuit.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with stomach cancer or other significant side effects after treatment with Nexium, you may be able to pursue litigation. While filing a Nexium stomach cancer lawsuit cannot undo the pain and suffering caused by Nexium side effects, nor bring a loved one back to life, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.