Long-term Use Of Heartburn Drugs Linked To Dementia Risk

Long-term Use Of Heartburn Drugs Linked To Dementia Risk

Introduction

The results of a recent study state that long-term adverse effects of Nexium, Prilosec, and other proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatments may increase the risk of dementia.

These findings raise fresh questions about the dangers of the common heartburn medication, which many people use for years. According to the University of Minnesota researchers, those who used proton pump inhibitors for more than four years had a 33% higher chance of developing dementia.

GERD, heartburn, stomach and small intestine ulcers, and esophageal inflammation are all conditions that can be treated with PPIs by lowering the quantity of acid in the stomach. The family of drugs also includes several generic alternatives to Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid in addition to the brand-name drugs Protonix, Zegerid, AcipHex, Dexilant, and Vimovo.

Although the medications have long been marketed as safe and effective, leading many to believe they have few serious side effects, the makers of Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec, and Prevacid have been the target of thousands of lawsuits alleging that these products caused plaintiffs to suffer from acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal failure, and other unanticipated health issues.

In this most recent study, data from 5,712 individuals who were a member of a community-based cohort from 1987 to 2017 were analyzed. The participants' average age was 75. Researchers examined PPI use and conducted yearly phone calls to check for instances of newly diagnosed dementia.

They discovered that, throughout the course of the trial, participants reported 585 occurrences of dementia. Short-term users of Nexium, Prilosec, or other heartburn medications had no higher risk of dementia, but those who took these medications for more than 4.4 years had a 33% greater risk of dementia.

The researchers concluded that further study is required to comprehend potential mechanisms between cumulative PPI usage and dementia development. This study presents Class III evidence that there is a greater risk of newly diagnosed dementia among those 45 and older who had taken prescription PPIs for more than 4.4 years.

In recent years, nearly 13,000 product liability lawsuits have been brought against the manufacturers of Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, and related medications. Each of these lawsuits makes the same claims that PPI users suffered from acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal failure, and other side effects.

As part of an MDL, or multi-district litigation, the lawsuit has been centralized before the U.S. District Judge in New Jersey since late 2019 due to similar concerns of fact and law presented in hundreds of complaints filed throughout the federal court system.

The judge established a "bellwether" program where a small number of lawsuits that are representative of issues raised throughout the claims have undergone case-specific discovery and been prepared for a series of early trial dates. This came about after coordinated discovery into common issues that affect all of the cases.

If a deal is not made by October 10th, the first bellwether trial for Nexium kidney injury will be held. The outcomes are anticipated to assist the parties in gauging how jurors may react to specific evidence and testimony that will be repeated throughout the litigation, even if they are not binding on subsequent cases. However, if the parties have not made any progress in settling their disputes after this year's and the following year's trials, the judge may begin remanding specific cases back to U.S. District Courts nationwide for specific trials.