Shine Lawyers is seeking patients for a potential class action against PPI manufacturers based on research suggesting long-term use is linked to gastric cancer and kidney injury. 

The firm says hundreds of Australians have already expressed interest in their investigation into esomeprazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole and lansoprazole. 

It follows a US settlement by esomeprazole maker AstraZeneca last year, where the company, without admission of wrongdoing, paid $US425 million ($630 million) to almost 19,000 patients who claimed PPIs caused chronic kidney disease. 

“We observed the success of these claims in the US and undertook a risk assessment of running a similar claim here,” said Lorne Franks, special counsel for class actions at Shine Lawyers.