A recent joint status report revealed that nearly 14,000 lawsuits have been filed against manufacturers of proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) heartburn medications like Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid. Each of these lawsuits, now part of a multidistrict litigation, raise similar claims that PPI heartburn medications caused individuals to develop serious side effects including kidney damage, heart attacks, bone fractures, and infections.

Many PPI heartburn drugs are staples in American households, popularized for their ability to combat individuals’ acid reflux and heartburn. Name brands PPI heartburn medications like Nexium, Protonix, and Prilosec are commonly seen at nearly every grocery shop and corner drug store in the country. In fact, over 15 million patients have been prescribed PPI heartburn medications, and more are estimated to take over-the-counter versions of PPI drugs.

However, in recent years researchers discovered that taking PPI heartburn medications can cause patients to develop severe complications, the most prominent being kidney damage. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first required PPI manufacturers to include new warnings about the risk of kidney injury in 2014 after finding PPI heartburn drugs may increase the risk of acute interstitial nephritis, a form of kidney damage. Plaintiffs claim this warning either came far to late, was inadequate, and failed to mention that PPI heartburn drugs may cause chronic kidney disease, failure, and other kidney injuries.

More recent studies found that PPI heartburn drugs like Nexium increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease by nearly 50% compared to nonusers. As more research about the kidney dangers of heartburn medications as been released, growing numbers of consumers have filed lawsuits against PPI drug manufacturers, saying companies should have properly warned consumers about the risks of taking their medications.  Now, according to a status report released on April 17, 13,919 claims have been filed against PPI heartburn drug manufacturers as part of a products liability litigation.

PPI Multidistrict Litigation

Due to the common questions of fact and law brought up in the thousands of PPI heartburn drug lawsuits, the Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) decided to centralize these lawsuits as part of a multidistrict litigation. U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi now oversees these cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey for coordinated pretrial proceedings. The first bellwether trial as part of the litigation is scheduled to begin November 2021. However, this date could be changed due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has halted or postponed lawsuits across the United States.

Did You Take Heartburn Drugs like Nexium or Prilosec?

If you took a PPI heartburn drug like Nexium, Prilosec, or Prevacid, you may be at risk of developing sever kidney damage or disease. Our team of experienced product liability attorneys at the McGartland Law Firm works tirelessly to help victims of dangerous drugs and hold manufacturers responsible for their illegal activities. Our lawyers have won multi-millions of dollars for injured clients and work on a contingency-fee basis. This means you never pay anything out of pocket, and we only get paid if we win or settle your case. This allows us to provide you quality legal representation without undue financial risk on your side. Call 1-866-832-9300 today to speak with one of our representatives about your case; we offer free case consultations for your convenience.