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Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuit

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Proton Pump inhibitors have been tied to a number of serious side effects, including kidney failure and chronic kidney disease. Patients who suffered these complications while using Nexium, Prilosec, PrevAcid or another proton pump inhibitor may be entitled to file a lawsuit to obtain compensation for damages related to their injury.

Legal Help for Those Injured by Proton Pump Inhibitors

Bernstein Liebhard LLP is now providing free legal reviews to individuals who were diagnosed with acute interstitial nephritis, chronic kidney disease, or kidney failure while using any of the following prescription or over-the-counter medications:

• Nexium(esomeprazole)
• Nexium 24HR
• Prilosec OTC
• PrevAcid (lansoprazole)
• PrevAcid 24HR
• Dexilent, Kapidex (dexlansoprazole)
• Aciphex (rabeprazole)
• Protonix (pantoprazole).

To learn if you might be eligible to file a proton pump inhibitor lawsuit, please call (888) 994-5118.

Proton Pump Inhibitor Litigation News

• January 2017: The JPML has declined to centralize the federal proton pump inhibitor docket. A number of factors contributed to the Panel’s decision, including the likelihood that a great deal of discovery would likely be defendant specific.  The JPML also found that the variety of kidney injuries alleged by plaintiffs significantly undermined any efficiency that could be achieved by centralization. They also noted that all of the defendants are competitors, and expressed concern that the need to protect confidential and trade secret information would complicate case management. Read More
• December 2016: According to an Order issued by the JPML on December 15, 2016, Oral Arguments regarding centralization of all federally-filed kidney damage claims involving proton pump inhibitors will be heard on Thursday, January 26^th at the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse, in Miami, Florida. The Hearing Session will commence at 9:30 a.m. Read More
• November 2016: Several proton pump manufacturers filed responses with the JPML in opposition to the proposed multidistrict litigation. Among other things, the defendants argued that the variety of injuries alleged in the lawsuits, the large number of proton pump inhibitors currently on the market, and the potential for the litigation to involve more than 60 defendants makes the docket unfit for centralization. Read More
• October 2016: Plaintiffs who allegedly suffered serious kidney injuries, including chronic kidney disease or kidney failure, related to the use of a prescription or over-the-counter proton pump inhibitor are seeking to have all  federally-filed  claims centralized before a single judge in the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana.  According to a Motion for Transfer filed with the U.S. Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) on October 17^th, at least 15 such proton pump inhibitor lawsuits  are already pending in federal courts around the U.S. However, the moving plaintiffs contend that the litigation will grow to include hundreds of similar claims. Read more

Proton Pump Inhibitors: What’s the Problem

Proton pump inhibitors are approved to treat problems associated with the excess production of stomach acid. These drugs are extremely popular, and are used by more than 20 million people in the U.S. However, some research suggests that many of these individuals are using proton pump inhibitors inappropriately, often for far longer periods than what is recommended. Long-term use of these drugs has been tied to a number of serious side effects, including:

• Hip and wrist fractures
• Low serum magnesium
• Pneumonia
• Drug interactions with Plavix
• C. diff infections
• B12 deficiency

Recent research also suggests that the drugs might increase the risk of other serious complications, including kidney problems, dementia and heart attacks.

Proton Pump Inhibitors and the Kidneys

In December 2014, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) ordered that new information regarding acute interstitial nephritis be added to the labels of all proton pump inhibitors. This condition is characterized by a sudden inflammation of the kidney tubules, and results in renal failure roughly 50% of the time. About 15% of hospitalizations for kidney failure are the result of nephritis.

In January 2016, scientists at Johns Hopkins University published a study in JAMA: Internal Medicine that suggested the use of proton pump inhibitors could increase the risk of chronic kidney disease by as much as 50%. The study followed 10,482 people for an average of 13.9 years, comparing those who used proton pump inhibitors to those who did not, or to patients using Zantac or other H2 blockers. Read More

In April of that year,  another study published in  Journal of the American Society of Nephrology reported that proton pump inhibitors appeared to increase the risk of kidney failure by 96% when compared to H2 blockers. The same study indicated that patients taking the drugs where 28% more likely to develop chronic kidney disease. The risk went up with higher doses and longer duration of use. Read More

Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuit for Stomach Cancer

Patients who were diagnosed with gastric, or stomach, cancer following long-term proton pump inhibitor use may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the drugs’ manufacturers.

The link between stomach cancer and proton pump inhibitors was suggested by a study published in the September 2017 issue of  Gut. The research team noted that the bacterium responsible for gastric ulcers – H. pylori – was also a known risk factor for stomach cancer. They wanted to know why some patients went on to develop gastric cancer even after H. pylori had been successfully eradicated via triple drug therapy.

To do so, they followed 63,400 H. pylori patients who had undergone triple-therapy with a combination of a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics over seven days between 2003 and 2012. All subjects were followed for an average of 7.5 years, ether until they developed stomach cancer, died, or the study’s conclusion in December 2015.

During follow-up 5% (3,271) of the subjects took proton pump inhibitors for an average of nearly three years. More than 21,700 took H2 blockers. During that period, 153 patients were diagnosed with stomach cancer following H. pylori treatment.  While none of the cancer patients tested positive for the bacterium, all had chronic gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining).

An analysis of the data suggested that:

• Patients who took proton pump inhibitors were twice as likely to develop stomach cancer.
• Those who took the drugs daily were more than four times more likely to develop stomach cancer compared to those who only used proton pump inhibitors once per week.
• Patients who took proton pump inhibitors for a year were five times more likely to develop stomach cancer.
• Taking proton pump inhibitors for two years or more increased the likelihood of gastric cancer by more than six-fold.
• The risk of stomach cancer rose more than eight times after three or more years of use.
• H2 blockers were not associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer.

Learn More about Filing an Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuit

Bernstein Liebhard LLP offers free legal reviews to individuals who may have suffered serious kidney damage, including nephritis, renal failure and chronic kidney disease, due to their use of a proton pump inhibitor. To schedule your review, please call (888) 994-5118.