A Nexium kidney disease lawsuit brought by a New Jersey couple alleges the drug’s manufacturer failed to properly warn about its potential side effects.

Plaintiffs Bernita and Claude G. are suing pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, the maker of Nexium.

The couple says Bernita was prescribed Nexium from January 2011 through September 2014, as well as during other times.

She says she took Nexium according to the instructions on the label and her doctor’s prescription.

By July 2014, Bernita had developed chronic kidney disease, the couple says.

They now attribute Bernita’s kidney condition to the Nexium she took for years.

Had Bernita been adequately warned about the risk of kidney trouble associated with Nexium, they claim, she never would have taken it.

According to this Nexium kidney disease lawsuit, Nexium is part of a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs.

These drugs are used to treat gastrointestinal conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease, dyspepsia, acid peptic disease, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, acid reflux, and peptic or stomach ulcers.

Among this widely used class of drugs, Nexium has been especially popular. The plaintiffs say Nexium is defendant AstraZeneca’s best-selling drug, with annual sales exceeding $5 billion in 2005 and 2008.

Nexium Kidney Disease Lawsuit Faults AstraZeneca for Not Disclosing Risks

Despite the drug’s popularity, Nexium creates health risks for the patient that AstraZeneca fails to properly warn them about, according to Bernita and Claude’s Nexium kidney disease lawsuit.

The plaintiffs allege that during the time Nexium has been sold in the U.S., the FDA has received hundreds of reports of adverse effects associated with Nexium and other PPIs.

The plaintiffs say AstraZeneca received several reports documenting cases of kidney injuries in conjunction with Nexium treatment.

Reported kidney conditions included acute interstitial nephritis, chronic kidney disease, kidney failure, acute kidney injury, and clostridium difficile.

Acute interstitial nephritis is an inflammation of the structures inside the kidneys.

The plaintiffs refer to several different scientific studies, some from as far back as 1992, that suggest a link between PPIs like Nexium and acute interstitial nephritis.

The Nexium kidney disease lawsuit also note that in 2014, the FDA changed the labeling for all PPIs to include a warning about the possibility that acute interstitial nephritis “may occur at any point during PPI therapy.”

Bernita and Claude say other studies suggest a relationship between the long-term use of PPIs like Nexium and chronic kidney disease, the gradual loss of kidney function.

In its later stages, chronic kidney disease may be fatal without dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Studies show that long-term use of PPIs may be linked to as much as a 20 to 50 percent higher risk of chronic kidney disease, according to the plaintiffs.

Even though these reports put AstraZeneca on notice about the link between Nexium and kidney problems, Bernita and Claude say, the company didn’t bother to inform patients or their physicians about the risk.

Instead, the plaintiffs claim, AstraZeneca “continued to represent that Nexium did not pose any risks of kidney injuries.”

The Nexium Kidney Disease Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-05042, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.