HOUSTON, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- An Ohio woman suffered bone deterioration and broken bones because of hidden risks with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's acid reflux drug Nexium, The Gibson Law Firm alleges in a lawsuit filed today in Texas federal court.
Filed in the U.S. District Court in Houston, the lawsuit alleges 58-year-old Ginny Begin, of Toledo, Ohio, suffered serious bone deterioration after taking Nexium on a daily basis between 2003 and early 2011.
In March, the FDA issued a safety alert stating use of prescription "PPI's," including Nexium, results in an increased risk of fractures. PPI's are prescription-strength proton pump inhibitors. In May 2010, the FDA mandated manufacturers of PPI's such as Nexium to include safety information and warnings about the increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures associated with PPIs.
The lawsuit alleges, "[A]s early as 2006, studies found PPI's, by reducing hydrochloric acid in the stomach, interfere with the body's ability to absorb calcium, thus speeding up bone loss and leading to an increased number of fractures. In total, six studies have found the risk of fracture significantly increased for those patients over 50 years of age who took a prescription-strength PPI, like Nexium, or who took any PPI regularly for more than one year. Specifically, use of PPI's increases the risk of fractures in women up to 34 percent."
According to the complaint, Begin snapped a leg bone (left fibula) in July 2005 while walking. In June 2007, the same bone in Begin's leg and three bones in her ankle broke as she walked down stairs.
Jason A. Gibson of The Gibson Law Firm in Houston represents Begin. He stated, "Despite knowing Nexium causes bones to severely deteriorate and break, AstraZeneca marketed and sold Nexium without warning consumers of the significant risks of bone deterioration and fractures. Ms. Begin continues to suffer severe pain from leg and ankle injuries that never fully healed. Our investigation of national impact on consumers who took Nexium continues. This appears to be the first known lawsuit filed against AstraZeneca arising from bone fractures caused by Nexium."
The lawsuit accuses AstraZeneca, L.P. and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, L.P. of negligence, negligent misrepresentation and product defects, and seeks exemplary damages.
The case is "Ginny Begin v. AstraZeneca, L.P.," Civil Action No. 4:11-CV-01489 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
SOURCE The Gibson Law Firm