Nexium, or esomeprazole, is a drug that is used to treat heartburn and excessive amounts of acid in the stomach. Specifically, it is used to treat duodenal and gastric ulcers, esophagitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Nexium is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) that decreases the amount of acid produced in the stomach. Other drugs that are in the same class as Nexium include Prevacid and Prilosec. Approximately 15 million Americans use PPIs that are sold both as prescription and over-the-counter. Nexium sales exceed $3 billion a year.
Nexium Class Action Lawsuit Update – April 2022
There are around 13,500 lawsuits pending the Nexium-Prilosec PPI class action MDL. The first trial will be in October. The hope is that a few trials will set settlement amounts for Nexium kidney lawsuits.
But many class action lawsuits – at least lately – have had trials and the parties still could not agree to a settlement amount for the victims. So the judge, in this case, wants to keep the pressure on the lawyers. So if a global settlement is not reached, the MDL Judge has identified a group of 200 cases that the parties will be preparing for trial over the next 16 months.
- 2022 Update: These drugs have had a troubled history. Zantac, which was long considered a great and safe drug, has now been associated with cancer.
Problems with Nexium
Nexium is a controversial drug. At one point, bone fracture lawsuits were all the rage because there was data suggesting Nexium, particularly the long-term use of Nexium, would cause bone fractures and breaks. Our lawyers believed many of these lawsuits were meritorious. But the litigation did not get very far.