A woman from Indiana alleges she developed acute kidney injury from popular treatment medications for indigestion and heartburn, which prompted her to file legal action against the company.

The claim alleges Nexium and Dexilant had caused her to develop acute kidney injury and other permanent injuries, which are fatal without medical intervention.

Along with acute kidney injury, plaintiff Laverne C. says she developed chronic kidney disease from these proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medications.

Proton pump inhibitors work by limiting the amount of digestive fluids produced in the stomach and help treat conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease. These medications are also good treatment options for stomach ulcers and have a wide range of uses related to stomach acid problems.

With these benefits in mind, Laverne says she started using Nexium and Dexilant in March 2013 and had used them up until June 2018. During this time, Laverne says she used the PPIs for their intended purpose and did not deviate from medication instructions. Even with this diligence, Laverne still allegedly developed acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease from these medications.

Laverne says that neither acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease were mentioned as potential side effects on the drugs’ warning labels, which gave Laverne no reason to believe she was at risk for any serious long term side effects.

Laverne opted to file this Nexium kidney lawsuit after discovering other patients had allegedly developed acute kidney injury or other kidney related injuries, at some point during or after their proton pump inhibitor prescriptions.

Overview of PPI Kidney Damage Correlation

The alleged correlation between proton pump inhibitors and kidney damage came to the medical community’s attention fairly recently after a significant study was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. According to the study, patients who were prescribed PPIs faced a 28% greater risk of chronic kidney disease and a 96% increased risk of kidney failure compared to the control group. The PPI patients were compared to patients using histamine H2 receptor blockers, which reportedly had significantly fewer incidents related to kidney damage. 

In addition, a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) had found that patients who used proton pump inhibitors were more likely to develop chronic kidney disease.

This study was reportedly conducted after other research indicated PPI medications could cause acute interstitial nephritis, which is a condition known to evolve into kidney failure.

It is important to note that the FDA had previously approved AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Lp. to change Nexium’s warning label to include acute interstitial nephritis in 2014.

Even though this information was vital to patient safety, AstraZeneca allegedly failed to warn patients that their medication could also cause acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease. Laverne states she would not have used proton pump inhibitors, if she had known about the alleged correlation.

Laverne’s Nexium kidney lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2789, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging serious injuries like acute kidney injury. Laverne’s Nexium kidney lawsuit is seeking a multitude of damages, including counts of negligence and failure to warn.

This Nexium Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-17547-CCC-MF, in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.