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Britain’s AstraZeneca has agreed to pay $425 million to settle about 11,000 lawsuits in the United States that claimed its heartburn drugs Nexium and Prilosec caused chronic kidney disease. AstraZeneca did not admit wrongdoing under the settlement, part of broader litigation against makers of a class of heartburn drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). “Today’s settlements are a significant victory for the thousands of patients who suffered kidney injuries as a result of using” the drugs, the plaintiffs’ attorney Chris Seeger said in a statement. A single lawsuit is still scheduled to go to trial in April in Louisiana, according...

...Some drugs that neutralize stomach acid, such as famotidine, are associated with reduced severity, but others, such as Prilosec, correlate with higher infection rates and risk of death, at least in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infections. In a retrospective analysis posted on medRxiv of roughly 1,300 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, Nakaya and colleagues found that individuals taking proton-pump inhibitors, including Prilosec, had a two- to three-fold higher risk of death compared with hospitalized patients not taking those drugs. This observation falls in line with a study published in late August in the American Journal of Gastroenterology by doctors in the US...

Starting on September 18, a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos-themed restaurant will be opening in Hollywood for three nights only. The Flamin’ Hot Spot will be serving a three-course menu, featuring ten Cheetos-inspired dishes created by celebrity chef Roy Choi — the mastermind behind Kogi BBQ. The dishes, which range in price from $11 to $35, will include appetizers, entrees and desserts. People can try a variety of Cheeto dishes, including Flamin’ Hot Chipotle Ranch Wings, a Hot Cheetos Burrito, Chester Cheetah’s Cheetos Churros or even a Hot Chocolate...

Certain acid blockers in a popular heartburn drug might actually increase the risk of premature death. As CBS2’s Dr. Max Gomez reports, there are three main types of heartburn drugs. Antacids, like Tums and Rolaids, are fine. So are older acid blockers called H-2 blockers, like Pepcid and Zantac. But the evidence keeps piling up that drugs called PPIs, like Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec, might actually be risky. They are among the best-selling drugs in the country, with more than $10 billion spent annually on a class of acid blocking medications called Proton Pump Inhibitors, or PPIs. It almost seems...

America’s short-term Trump problem will end in Iowa. As I wrote yesterday, I think America is facing a two-fold Trump problem. The proximate problem is that Donald Trump has been the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination since this summer, and the durability of his support suggests that he could in fact be the party’s nominee. The underlying problem is that America has a two-party political system, and one of the parties is receptive to a candidate such as Trump. I don’t have a solution to the latter problem. But the former problem, the proximate Trump problem, is going to...

"Whether it’s a bout of diarrhea, heartburn after a heavy meal, or aches and pains, gut problems affect nearly all of us at some point......From using digestive-friendly spices like fennel and ginger, to eating fruit on an empty stomach, here, she shares her tips for banishing bloating..."

Hello. It's early in the morning, or late at night for those of us who usually work nights. After a weekend of unhealthy and unusual eating, I have just consumed the second to the last Pepcid Complete, Walgreen's brand, in our home. The last one will be fought over between my wife and I at a later to be determined time and place. Being a sensitive husband, I may at least share half with my wife. Yesterday, while we were visiting family out of town, my wife went to the store to get the usual supply of Pepcid Complete, either...

Sorry to post a vanity but looking for some suggestions about acid reflux. It could just be heartburn too???? I never had any problems but entering mid to late 40's this just popped up. Supposedly as we move into the 50's this becomes an issue.

Associated Press CHICAGO — Holiday revelers beware: Seasonal indulgences such as eggnog and fruitcake might give you heartburn, but the acid-fighting medicine you take for relief might lead to something worse, researchers say. People on popular prescription drugs for treating acid reflux — Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium — seem more prone to getting a potentially dangerous diarrhea caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile, new research shows. C-diff, as it's known, can cause severe diarrhea and crampy intestinal inflammation called colitis. Dr. Sandra Dial and colleagues at McGill University in Montreal examined data on more than 18,000 patients in the United...

THE CONSUMER Five popular heartburn drugs work in essentially the same way, but only one of them, Prilosec, is sold without a prescription. Does that mean it is not as effective as the others? No, doctors say, Prilosec works just as well as the prescription drugs for most people - but only if they can get their hands on it. The pills are in such short supply that many drugstores are asking customers to wait two weeks or more for fresh stocks. Some patients have tracked down the medicine by calling around to other stores or shopping on eBay. Others...

<p>WASHINGTON — Heartburn sufferers soon won't need a prescription to buy the popular remedy Prilosec, better known in TV ads as ''the purple pill.''</p> <p>The Food and Drug Administration approved a nonprescription version of Prilosec, one of the world's top-selling drugs, late yesterday.</p>