Judicial Panel Rejects Bid to Create MDL Docket for Popular Heartburn Drugs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Noting that several considerations “fatally undercut the case for centralization,” the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation denied a petition to consolidate federal lawsuits alleging that proton pump inhibitors (PPI) cause kidney disease.

The JPML issued its order denying transfer on Feb. 2, providing four specific reasons for why the PPI lawsuits would not benefit from proceeding before a single federal MDL judge despite sharing certain fact issues.

Approximately 100 lawsuits have been filed against four manufacturers of the popular heartburn treatment, accusing them of failing to warn doctors and their patients that taking the drugs could result …