AstraZeneca will pay $425 million to settle lawsuits on behalf of consumers who suffered kidney injuries while using its heartburn medications Nexium and Prilosec.
AstraZeneca in a statement said the specific terms are confidential, but the agreements effectively resolve the product liability claims that are currently pending. A single case remains pending in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
The company said the claims “are without merit” and admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement agreement.
“These settlements avoid continued costly litigation and allow the Company to move forward with its purpose of delivering life changing medicines to millions of patients around the world,” AstraZeneca said.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Seeger Weiss LLP and Douglas & London P.C., said the settlement will resolve litigation against AstraZeneca for about 11,000 claims.
The lawsuits alleged the medications can cause kidney injuries that may develop into chronic kidney disease and eventually end-stage renal disease. Plaintiffs also alleged that companies failed to adequately research and concealed the risks of taking such proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) medications.
But the plaintiffs have not reached a settlement with Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the maker of PPI drugs Prevacid and Dexilant, and will continue to pursue claims against the company.
AstraZeneca’s settlement is in addition to earlier settlements reached with GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble, and Pfizer totaling $108.5 million, attorneys said.
