As consumer complaints mount, lawyers investigate a link between Nexium use and stomach cancer.

Nexium is a popular drug used to treat heartburn, ulcers, and acid reflux. It is one of a class of drugs known as proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs. PPIs are extremely common heartburn drugs. Some common heartburn drugs of this type are:

• Nexium, Nexium IV, Nexium 24 HR
• Prilosec, Prilosec OTC
• Prevacid, Prevacid IV, Prevacid 24-Hour
• Protonix
• Zegerid, Zegerid OTC

In October 2017, a study was published that found that heartburn drugs like Nexium can increase an individual’s risk of stomach cancer. Allegedly, this risk increases if someone takes the drugs for a long period of time. Heartburn drug users’ risk of developing stomach cancer was reportedly between two to eight times higher than that of a person who did not use Nexium.

The October 2017 study focused mostly on patients who had been treated for infections caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori. This is a very common bacteria —more than half of people in the world may be infected by the bacteria but may not be aware. In some cases, however, this bacteria can cause stomach ulcers, and can increase an individual’s risk of developing cancer.

Reportedly, eradicating the presence of H. pylori in a patient can reduce their risk of stomach cancer by 33 percent. However, the study showed that even after a patient had the H. pylori removed from their system, they had a 43 percent higher risk of developing stomach cancer when using heartburn medications.

Heartburn Drugs

Experts argue that heartburn drugs like Nexium have been overprescribed. Though these drugs should be used sparingly, in many cases, they have been prescribed for long periods of time, increasing a person’s risk of developing severe side effects from Nexium. As experts investigate what causes stomach cancer, drugs like Nexium are facing increased scrutiny, in the best interest of patients.

Heartburn medications like Nexium have long been associated with severe side effects. For example, Nexium and other heartburn medications have reportedly been linked to kidney failure, among a range of kidney problems. In 2016, the Journal of American Medical Association linked heartburn meds like Nexium to these complications.

In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a label change to warn consumers that kidney failure and kidney disease were possible side effects of taking Nexium. However, the link between Nexium and stomach cancer has not received the same publicity, despite the possibly serious danger to consumers.

Drug side effect lawyers are investigating the link between Nexium and stomach cancer. Stomach cancer causes are often hard to discern, but if you took Nexium at some point and had stomach cancer, you may have a legal claim. Lawyers are investigating Nexium as a prominent one of a number of stomach cancer causes.

Patients who developed stomach cancer should note that heartburn drugs like Nexium have been sold in many generic forms, so it can be hard for some patients to know if they have taken a drug like Nexium or not. If you have taken heartburn drugs and later developed stomach cancer, contact a Nexium stomach cancer lawyer. They can help sort through complex stomach cancer causes and drug side effects to determine if you have a legal claim.