AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals is facing a new Nexium lawsuit recently filed by a woman from Nevada alleging serious drug complications. This Nexium lawsuit is joining growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) consisting of product liability claims alleging serious kidney complications.

Plaintiff Catherine M. filed this Nexium lawsuit after discovering other patients had also allegedly developed serious kidney complications soon after being prescribed the proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Like millions of other patients, Catherine was prescribed Nexium to treat acid reflux and other similar conditions.

Nexium and other proton pump inhibitors work by limiting the amount of stomach acid secreted when digesting food helping treat conditions like acid reflux, ulcers, indigestion, heartburn, and other similar conditions.

Proton pump inhibitors can either be prescribed by doctors or purchased over the counter, making the number of users for these drugs well within the reach of millions. AstraZeneca has assured its customers for years that Nexium was a safe and reliable treatment method for acid reflux and indigestion.

With these benefits in mind, Catherine says she initiated Nexium treatment in 2007. According to the Nexium lawsuit, Catherine stayed on the medication until 2016, but was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at some point during or after the treatment regiment.

Catherine opted to file this Nexium lawsuit soon after discovering that multiple studies linked the drug to serious kidney complications.

Overview of Nexium Kidney Problems

The first major study to observe this correlation was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, with researchers finding that proton pump inhibitors carried an increased risk of kidney damage.

According to the study, patients who were prescribed Prilosec and Nexium faced a 96 percent increased risk of kidney failure and 28 percent increased risk of chronic kidney disease, compared to patients prescribed histamine H2 receptor blockers.

Another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in February 2016 also found an increased risk of chronic kidney disease in conjunction with proton pump inhibitors.

This study was conducted after other inquiries reportedly found that PPI medications may increase the risk of acute interstitial nephritis, a condition well known to evolve into kidney failure. Previously in 2014, the FDA approved an update for Nexium’s warning label to include acute interstitial nephritis as a potential side effect.

Even though chronic kidney disease and kidney failure are potentially fatal complications for patients, AstraZeneca allegedly failed to warn the general public in a timely manner, according to the Nexium lawsuit.

At all times relevant, Catherine says she relied on the marketing statement and product information provided by AstraZeneca and had no reason to be wary of serious side effects. Catherine states she would not have taken Nexium if she had known about its alleged association with chronic kidney disease.

Catherine’s Nexium lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2789, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar injuries. By joining an MDL, Catherine’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

Catherine’s Nexium lawsuit is seeking multiple damages, including counts of negligence and failure to warn.

This Nexium Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-11937-CCC-MF, in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.