Prilosec and Nexium Lawsuits
Normally when someone takes a medication they expect that the longer they are on the medication, then the healthier they will be. However, with some proton pump inhibiters, or PPI, the opposite can happen. Studies have shown that the longer a drug like Nexium, a popular PPI, was taken, the greater the risk for the person to experience complications and side effects from the drug. The same study showed that Nexium and similar drugs could lead to an increased risk, 20-50%, of kidney disease in persons taking the medications, and that the odds of this happening increased with duration of medication use. Other potential harms caused by the drugs include an increased risk for heart attack, broken or fractured bones, and complications with magnesium levels. Other suspected, but not yet confirmed potential harms include birth defects, kidney issues, and infections.
Lawsuits against Nexium, manufactured by the same company that produces Prilosec, have gone up in recent years, and that trend is not expected to end any time soon. The company has received numerous different law suits, including production of dangerous/defective medications, lack of sufficient warnings of side effects and dangers on the medications, purposefully concealing the dangers of Nexium and similar drugs both from the public and from the medical community as well, and illegally and improperly advertising or marketing the products. The company that produces Nexium has spent hundreds of millions of dollars paying money to those injured by their medications and fighting their claims in court. Allegedly, the company will also be facing billions of dollars in penalties for bribing a company that produces cheaper, generic versions of Nexium and similar drugs in order to keep the price of Nexium higher.
Numerous lawsuits have been filed against the companies which manufacture PPIs and other similar medications, including against AstraZeneca, the manufacturer of both Prilosec and Nexium, over the past decade and a half. The FDA has yet to take formal action against AstraZeneca for the kidney failure and complications that their drugs have been linked to causing, but since a prescription is no longer needed to obtain Nexium, it is expected that the number of injuries, and hence law suits, will continue to rise as time goes on.
Those who have taken Nexium or Prilosec, and have suffered from any of the aforementioned injuries (heart attack, bone fractures, kidney/renal failure, or kidney disease) or any of the other serious side effects, should immediately seek legal counsel. Such individuals may be able to recover sums for a variety of injuries or losses, including, but not limited to; compensation for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. Those who have lost a family member or close friend to complications caused by Nexium or Prilosec, could potentially have a wrongful death claim, and could be entitled to compensation for their loved one’s death.
Like any venture, and especially like any lawsuit, a Nexium or Prilosec suit is not always a sure victory, and there is no guarantee of compensation. Although numerous lawsuits have been settled for upwards of one hundred thousand dollars, and some even into the millions, there is no guarantee that every law suit will be as fruitful, as each claim and circumstance is very different. Contact our law firm today if you would like a free evaluation of your claims.