Levin Papantonio Rafferty (LPR) Attorneys Troy Rafferty and Cameron Stephenson announced a settlement victory involving thousands of lawsuits claiming AstraZeneca’s heartburn drugs, Nexium and Prilosec, caused chronic kidney injuries. The settlement came after years of litigation contending that AstraZeneca knew of these risks, dating all the way back to the clinical trial phase, yet failed to warn patients and their healthcare providers.

Rafferty, a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee (PEC) in the PPI multidistrict litigation (MDL), said he and Stephenson are thrilled for their clients but noted litigation continues against another PPI manufacturer, Takeda.

The settlement represents partial closure in a continuing, larger litigation against manufacturers of PPI-class drugs in a New Jersey federal court before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi [MDL -2789 IN RE: Proton-Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation (No. II)].

“Today’s settlement announcement marks an unbelievable result for plaintiffs and victims,” Rafferty said, “but this isn’t over.”

Rafferty referred to the fact that PPI claims against pharmaceutical giant Takeda, maker of the drugs Prevacid and Dexilant, are still pending.

Stephenson applauded the efforts of all of the PEC and PSC law firms, noting that successful litigation against Big Pharma takes a team of lawyers who are willing to stand up to corporations in the name of what is right. The PPI MDL-2789 has been pending since 2017, costing the law firms millions of dollars and requiring thousands of litigation hours to bring about this outcome.

“I have been involved in this litigation for years,” Stephenson added. “To see this result on behalf of our clients is why I do this. But now, all eyes turn to Takeda. I can guarantee the PSC–this whole team of law firms–will fight even harder until Takeda pays for the damages they caused. We are more motivated now than ever.”