In October 2016, PPI patrons who’d already filed six claims against manufacturers implored the Federal Court to combine federal kidney injury-related lawsuits into an MDL (Multidistrict Litigation).

Before this period, 15 pending lawsuits depicted similar specifics in 12 separate district courts. By the next year (February 2017), the number of these lawsuits almost tripled, reaching 39 claims. 

Plaintiffs in these cases alleged that they’d suffered a vast array of kidney damage, including acute kidney disease and renal failure. 

They also claimed that AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and other proton pump inhibitor manufacturers didn’t notify them about the high risk of kidney anomalies when ingesting PPI variants like Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, and other notable PPI prescriptions. 

The motion for the MDL consolidation of these lawsuits was denied in February 2017 by the US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL). 

In a statement, the Panel said its MDL denial was due to the number of actions against each firm and the fact that companies in these litigations were competitors. 

For example, AstraZeneca had 37 actions. Conversely, Pfizer had four, Takeda had two, and Procter & Gamble had eight. 

Also, the Panel’s MDL denial stemmed from the kidney injuries claimed by plaintiffs, the manufacturing timeline of these pills, and the period they got approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

On the 2nd of August, 2017, the Judicial Panel directed the centralization of these PPI lawsuits in the District of New Jersey. Complainants in 24 claims also requested MDL consolidation by the Panel. During this period, the total pending claims had reached 161. A bulk of these lawsuits (sixty) were filed in the District of New Jersey — this number was higher than legal actions in other districts.

Notable Lawsuit Examples

Some notable PPI kidney damage claims include:

• Harry Mason

A resident of Madison County, Illinois, Harry Mason is the first individual to file a kidney damage claim against AstraZeneca in the Southern District of Illinois. 

This filing was made in May 2016.

Using Nexium as a reference, the litigation alleged that AstraZeneca knew about the risk of kidney injury on its PPI drug since 2004. However, they failed to issue any warning on the product’s package. 

Mason’s PPI case claimed that he started using the pill in 2006. Continuous usage resulted in kidney failure and chronic kidney disease. Fortunately, he returned to normalcy after a successful kidney transplant. 

Mason wanted compensatory and exemplary damages in his case. Nonetheless, in March 2017, he voluntarily withdrew his Nexium claim, according to court notes.

• Jackie Koon

Jackie Koon, a resident of Sedgwick County in Kansas, sued AstraZeneca due to kidney damages she blamed on their PPI drug — Prilosec — back in August 2016. 

Jackie started using Prilosec in 2010 and continued until 2013, when she realized that she’d developed a major kidney injury — end-stage renal failure or ESRD. ESRD patients will die if they can’t get a timely kidney transplant.

With this in view, Jackie sought a settlement worth $10 million. 

According to her, the ESRD resulted in severe physical and mental turmoil, reduced how she enjoyed her life, and medical bills from treatment and daily medications. 

• Penelope Costamagna

This Californian resident developed kidney failure after ingesting Prilosec for a few years. To recover and lead a normal life, Penelope required a transplant. 

Penelope filed lawsuits against Procter & Gamble and AstraZeneca back in February 2017.

Penelope stopped ingesting the Prilosec drug once her doctors diagnosed her with kidney injury. 

She led a normal life and felt all was well until doctors diagnosed her kidney injury. 

Her complaint shows she’ll need a kidney transplant to live normally or die if there’s no room for one.

• Karen Vertrees

A resident of Tennessee, Karen Vertrees, filed a claim against Takeda Pharmaceuticals. She alleged that the company’s PPI medications — Dexilant and Prevacid — facilitated her kidney injury and damage. 

Her lawsuit claimed doctors prescribed these PPIs to her on many occasions from 2001 – 2014. 

Her case further stated that she wouldn’t have ingested Dexiland and Prevacid if she’d known about the kidney injury risks of these proton pump inhibitors. 

• Jeanette Stockton

Jeanette Stockton, a Louisiana resident, filed a lawsuit against AstraZeneca in January 2017. She blamed the firm’s PPI pill — Nexium — for the onset of her kidney injuries.

Her complaint states that she began Nexium ingestion back in 2002. 10 years later, in 2012, she got a kidney damage diagnosis from doctors. Albeit diagnosed with kidney injury, she didn’t know they stemmed from using Nexium. Thus, she continued usage until May 2016.

Her complaint reiterated that the warnings issued by AstraZeneca weren’t accurate, thereby putting her life at risk.