A growing number of patients have alleged they developed serious Nexium kidney damage soon after taking the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medication, which has grown into a multidistrict litigation (MDL).

One of the most recent Nexium lawsuits was filed by a grieving widower from Georgia, alleging his wife developed permanent kidney damage from the PPI and was not able to recover.

Plaintiff David E. filed this Nexium wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of his late wife Beverly E., alleging the PPI had contributed to her deteriorating health and ultimately her death.

According to the Nexium wrongful death lawsuit, Beverly used PPI drugs Nexium and Prilosec for typical treatment purposes from 1999 to 2009 and had no reason to believe she was at risk for serious adverse side effects.

Proton pump inhibitors are very popular medications that work by limiting the number of digestive fluids secreted in the stomach, which makes these drugs a good treatment for stomach ulcers, gastric reflux and other similar conditions. More specifically, the medications bind the proton pump, which inhibits the gastric parietal cell from producing acid.

While these drugs are supposed to make patients’ lives less interrupted, proton pump inhibitors have recently become associated with serious kidney conditions that have been fatal in some cases.

This was allegedly the case with Beverly, who allegedly developed chronic kidney disease and eventual kidney failure. Even though she underwent intense treatments like dialysis, her kidneys ultimately failed and eventually led to her death, David says.

David opted to file this Nexium wrongful death lawsuit soon after discovering AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and the other pharmaceutical companies may have failed to provide adequate disclosures regarding potentially fatal kidney complications.

Overview of PPIs and Kidney Damage Correlation

Proton pump inhibitors are one of the most widely popular medications in the United States, with over 15 million customers in the United States. However, the number is likely to be much higher due to the availability of over-the-counter variants.

PPI medications became associated with serious kidney complications after a study was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and found that patients faced up to a 96% greater risk of kidney failure and 28% increased risk of chronic kidney disease, compared to histamine H2 receptor blockers.

Another study to analyze this correlation was a 2016 inquiry that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which found an increased risk of chronic kidney disease. This study was conducted after other research showed PPIs could cause acute interstitial nephritis, which is a condition known to lead to kidney failure.

The FDA became especially concerned with Nexium kidney damage, ordering acute interstitial nephritis to be added to its warning label in 2014. David states his wife would not have used to take the medication if she had known about the alleged correlation between PPIs and severe kidney damage.

David’s Nexium wrongful death lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2789, where it will stand alongside other claims also alleging serious injuries from Nexium kidney damage.

This Nexium Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-17737, in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.