Home › Lawsuits › Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) kidney injury lawsuit
Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) kidney injury lawsuit
Largest defendant AstraZeneca settled in October 2023; MDL 2789 remains open in D.N.J. with 11,404 actions pending as of the JPML's September 1, 2026 report, up 83 from the prior month. Consolidated federal litigation over kidney injuries allegedly caused by long-term use of heartburn drugs Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, and Dexilant; the largest defendant, AstraZeneca, settled in 2023.
The docket record
- Actions pending
- 11,404+83(+0.7%)
- Total actions, historical
- 18,755
- Change, 3 months
- +83(+0.7%)
- Change, 12 months
- +68(+0.6%)
- Docket
- MDL No. 2789
- Court
- District of New Jersey
- Transferee judge
- Claire C. CecchiU.S. District Judge
- Last report
- September 1, 2026
Source: JPML “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” report dated September 1, 2026 · first in our series Jan 2024
Month-by-month figures, Jan 2024 to Sep 2026
| Report date | Actions pending | Change | Total, historical | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | 11,404 | +83 | 18,755 | |
| August 3, 2026 | 11,321 | 0 | 18,706 | |
| July 1, 2026 | 11,321 | 0 | 18,706 | |
| June 1, 2026 | 11,321 | −1 | 18,706 | |
| May 1, 2026 | 11,322 | 0 | 18,706 | |
| April 1, 2026 | 11,322 | 0 | 18,706 | |
| March 2, 2026 | 11,322 | 0 | 18,706 | |
| February 2, 2026 | 11,322 | 0 | 18,706 | |
| January 5, 2026 | 11,322 | −6 | 18,706 | |
| December 2, 2025 | 11,328 | −3 | 18,706 | |
| November 3, 2025 | 11,331 | 0 | 18,706 | |
| October 1, 2025 | 11,331 | −5 | 18,706 | |
| September 2, 2025 | 11,336 | −52 | 18,706 | |
| August 1, 2025 | 11,388 | −203 | 18,706 | |
| July 1, 2025 | 11,591 | −86 | 18,706 | |
| June 2, 2025 | 11,677 | −51 | 18,706 | |
| May 1, 2025 | 11,728 | −80 | 18,706 | |
| April 1, 2025 | 11,808 | −143 | 18,706 | |
| March 3, 2025 | 11,951 | −23 | 18,706 | |
| February 3, 2025 | 11,974 | −1 | 18,706 | |
| January 2, 2025 | 11,975 | 0 | 18,706 | |
| December 2, 2024 | 11,975 | −87 | 18,706 | |
| October 1, 2024 | 12,062 | −246 | 18,706 | |
| September 3, 2024 | 12,308 | −461 | 18,704 | |
| August 1, 2024 | 12,769 | 0 | 18,668 | |
| July 1, 2024 | 12,769 | 0 | 18,668 | |
| June 3, 2024 | 12,769 | −37 | 18,668 | |
| May 1, 2024 | 12,806 | −8 | 18,668 | |
| April 1, 2024 | 12,814 | −5 | 18,668 | |
| March 1, 2024 | 12,819 | −1 | 18,668 | |
| February 1, 2024 | 12,820 | 0 | 18,668 | |
| January 2, 2024 | 12,820 | 18,668 |
Full docket title: IN RE: Proton-Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation (No. II). Programmatic record page: MDL 2789.
Where it stands
AstraZeneca, maker of Nexium and a marketer of Prilosec, agreed in October 2023 to pay $425 million to resolve roughly 11,000 kidney-injury claims, without admitting the drugs caused harm. Separate agreements reported around the same time put roughly $108 million toward resolving claims against GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble, and Pfizer over their PPI products. Despite those settlements, the JPML's own pending-actions count for MDL 2789 was still 11,404 as of September 1, 2026, meaning a substantial number of cases remain active in the MDL, whether against non-settling defendants, plaintiffs who have not yet resolved claims, or newly filed cases. Settlement-record could not independently confirm from public sources which specific defendants (e.g., Takeda, whose Prevacid and Dexilant are named in the underlying complaints) have or have not reached a comparable settlement, or the current claims-registration process. Anyone with a pending PPI kidney claim should confirm their case's individual status and any settlement eligibility directly with their attorney or the claims administrator, not from this page.
Sources: Pending MDL Dockets By MDL Number (September 1, 2026) · Pending MDLs page · Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuits Will Not Be Centralized in… · Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Bellwether Trials to Begin in…; full list at the end of this page.
What the lawsuits are about
Proton pump inhibitors are among the most widely used drugs in the country, sold both by prescription and over the counter to treat heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD. The drugs at issue include Nexium and Prilosec (AstraZeneca, with Procter & Gamble also selling OTC Prilosec), Prevacid (originally Takeda, with GlaxoSmithKline marketing an OTC version), Protonix (Pfizer/Wyeth), and Dexilant (Takeda). Plaintiffs allege the manufacturers knew or should have known that long-term PPI use was linked to serious kidney injury, including acute interstitial nephritis, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and failed to adequately warn patients and doctors.
in re: Proton-Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation (No. II), MDL No. 2789, was created when the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred and centralized PPI kidney-injury cases into the District of New Jersey before Judge Claire C. Cecchi. The panel had rejected an earlier consolidation request in February 2017, citing too few cases and the fact that the drugs, though all PPIs, come from different manufacturers with distinct regulatory and marketing histories; by mid-2017, case numbers had grown enough that the panel granted centralization, with the transfer order dated August 2, 2017 (docket 2:17-md-02789).
The case management process included agreement on fact sheets plaintiffs and defendants use to document exposure and injury, and a bellwether trial program originally slated to begin test trials in 2020. AstraZeneca, the largest single defendant by claim volume, announced a $425 million settlement in October 2023 covering roughly 11,000 Nexium and Prilosec kidney-injury claims, without admitting liability. Reporting around the same period described roughly $108 million in additional settlement commitments tied to GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble, and Pfizer PPI products. The MDL itself has not been closed: the JPML's own pending-docket report lists 11,404 actions still pending in MDL 2789 as of September 1, 2026, an increase of 83 over the prior month, indicating the litigation continues for claims and defendants not resolved by those settlements.
Injuries named in the filings
- Acute kidney injury
- Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN)
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
- End-stage renal disease (ESRD) / kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant
Principal defendants: AstraZeneca; Takeda; Pfizer; Procter & Gamble; GlaxoSmithKline.
Sources: Pending MDL Dockets By MDL Number (September 1, 2026) · Pending MDLs page · Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuits Will Not Be Centralized in… · Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Bellwether Trials to Begin in…; full list at the end of this page.
Who the filings say qualifies
Eligibility criteria below are drawn from the injury categories used in the MDL's case management orders and bellwether/fact-sheet process (duration of PPI use and diagnosis type), as reported in contemporaneous case-management coverage. Settlement Record could not locate the plaintiff fact sheet itself as a public document; a reviewer should confirm current intake criteria against the operative case management order before this section is used to screen any claimant.
- Regular use of a prescription or over-the-counter PPI (Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, or Dexilant) for a sustained period, generally discussed in coverage of the litigation as at least several months to years of use
- Diagnosis of acute kidney injury, acute interstitial nephritis, chronic kidney disease, or end-stage renal disease/kidney failure following PPI use
- No pre-existing kidney disease with a cause clearly unrelated to PPI use, as would be assessed through the case-specific fact-sheet and medical-record exchange process
- Diagnosis and use must be documented in medical records, since MDL fact-sheet practice requires supporting records rather than self-report
These are the criteria in the public record, not a promise about any individual case. A law firm evaluates each case on its own facts, and limitations periods vary by state.
Want a case review for the Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) kidney injury?
Case reviews for this litigation are not open through this site yet. Leave your details and we will pass them to a participating firm or intake partner only if one accepts this litigation, and only with the consent below.
Key dates
- The JPML denies an initial request to centralize PPI kidney-injury lawsuits into a single MDL, citing too few pending cases (roughly four dozen) and differences among the competing manufacturers' products. source
- The JPML transfers and centralizes PPI kidney-injury cases into the District of New Jersey as MDL No. 2789, In re: Proton-Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation (No. II), before Judge Claire C. Cecchi (docket 2:17-md-02789). source
- Judge Cecchi's case management order sets the first bellwether trial date for September 21, 2020, and the parties reach agreement on a defendant fact sheet. source
- AstraZeneca announces a $425 million settlement to resolve approximately 11,000 Nexium and Prilosec kidney-injury claims, without admitting the drugs caused harm; reporting around the same period describes roughly $108 million in additional settlement commitments tied to GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble, and Pfizer PPI products. source
- The JPML's pending-MDL-dockets report lists 11,404 actions pending in MDL 2789, an increase of 83 from the prior month, showing the litigation remains active for unresolved claims and defendants. source
Questions people ask
Is the PPI (Nexium/Prilosec) lawsuit still active?
Yes, in part. AstraZeneca, the maker of Nexium and a marketer of Prilosec, settled for $425 million in October 2023, and other manufacturers reportedly committed roughly $108 million more around the same time. But the MDL itself, No. 2789 in the District of New Jersey before Judge Cecchi, still shows 11,404 pending actions as of the JPML's September 1, 2026 report, so claims against non-settling defendants or from claimants who have not yet resolved their cases are still moving through the litigation.
How much is the AstraZeneca PPI settlement worth per person?
AstraZeneca's $425 million settlement, announced in October 2023, was reported to cover approximately 11,000 claims in aggregate. Settlement Record does not publish per-claimant payout estimates; individual amounts depend on injury severity, duration of use, and the claims-administration process, and should be discussed with the settlement administrator or a claimant's own attorney.
What kidney injuries are alleged in the PPI lawsuits?
Plaintiffs allege PPI use caused acute kidney injury, acute interstitial nephritis (sudden kidney inflammation), chronic kidney disease, and end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or a transplant. These are allegations made in the complaints and fact sheets, not an established causal finding by a court.
Which drugs are covered by the PPI lawsuit?
The litigation covers Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, and Dexilant, both prescription and over-the-counter formulations, made or marketed by AstraZeneca, Procter & Gamble, Takeda, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer at various points.
Can I still file a PPI kidney injury claim?
Some manufacturers have already settled their portion of the litigation, and many law firms report they are no longer accepting new PPI kidney cases following the 2023 settlements. Whether a new claim can be filed, and against which defendant, depends on that defendant's settlement status and any applicable statute of limitations, which varies by state. Consult an attorney to evaluate a specific claim.
Sources: Pending MDL Dockets By MDL Number (September 1, 2026) · Pending MDLs page · Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuits Will Not Be Centralized in… · Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Bellwether Trials to Begin in…; full list at the end of this page.
Track this docket
We re-read the JPML report on the first business day of each month. Get an email when this record changes: case count, status, or a settlement development.
Sources
- U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” monthly reports January 2, 2024 to September 1, 2026. Transferee court: District of New Jersey, Claire C. Cecchi.
- Pending MDL Dockets By MDL Number (September 1, 2026), U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Pending MDLs page, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Proton Pump Inhibitor Lawsuits Will Not Be Centralized in Single MDL, Panel Rules, AboutLawsuits.com (as summarized by plaintiff-side sources). Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Bellwether Trials to Begin in September 2020, AboutLawsuits.com (as summarized by plaintiff-side sources). Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Nexium, Prilosec Settlement Reached To Resolve Kidney Damage Lawsuits Against AstraZeneca, AboutLawsuits.com (as summarized by plaintiff-side sources). Accessed September 3, 2026.
- Nexium, Prilosec and Other Acid Reflux Drug Lawsuits, AboutLawsuits.com (as summarized by plaintiff-side sources). Accessed September 3, 2026.
Settlement Record is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We may be compensated if you request a case review and are referred to a law firm or intake partner. Settlement Record is not affiliated with any court, agency, defendant or law firm named on this page.