Since entering the market nearly a decade ago, the popular Type 2 diabetes drug Januvia has been linked to an alleged increased risk of potentially life-threatening side effects, including pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer. If you took Januvia in the past, and you have since been diagnosed with a serious medical condition or life-threatening disease, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries, medical expenses, loss of income, emotional trauma, and other damages. Consult a knowledgeable Januvia attorney as soon as you can to discuss the possibility of filing a product liability lawsuit against Januvia maker Merck & Co.
Januvia (sitagliptin) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006, and has since become one of the most popular Type 2 diabetes medications on the market in the United States. The year following Januvia’s approval, the FDA approved a variation of the drug called Janumet, which is also manufactured by Merck. In 2009, the FDA identified 88 post-marketing cases of pancreatitis reported in patients using Januvia and Janumet between October 2006 and February 2009, including two cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis. Two years later, the agency announced that it was “evaluating unpublished new findings by a group of academic researchers that suggest an increased risk of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, and pre-cancerous cellular changes called pancreatic duct metaplasia in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with a class of drugs called incretin mimetics.”
In 2009, the FDA identified 88 post-marketing cases of pancreatitis reported in patients using Januvia and Janumet between October 2006 and February 2009, including two cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis.
Januvia belongs to a class of drugs called DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors, and the prescription medication is designed to work in conjunction with other Type 2 diabetes drugs to make them more effective in reducing blood sugar levels. Januvia and other diabetes drugs in the same class function by blocking DPP-4, a protein made by the body that plays a role in glucose metabolism, thereby allowing incretin hormones to remain in the blood longer and to continue stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin, which helps remove excess sugar from the blood. Also known as an incretin mimetic, Januvia is designed to mimic the incretin hormones that the body naturally produces to stimulate the release of insulin in response to a meal.
Recent Januvia lawsuits claim:
Patients diagnosed with pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer or thyroid cancer after taking Januvia to treat their Type 2 diabetes are pursuing legal claims against Merck, alleging that the drug maker manufactured and distributed a defective and unreasonably dangerous drug. In August 2013, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) centralized all federal cases involving Januvia and other diabetes drugs belonging to the same class, including Victoza, Byetta and Janumet, in the Southern District of California, for coordinated pretrial proceedings as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL). Additional lawsuits are expected to be filed in federal and state courts across the country, on behalf of individuals and families who believe they have been harmed by side effects of medications like Januvia.
Type 2 diabetes patients who took Januvia to help control their blood sugar levels and have since been diagnosed with pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer or another serious side effect may be entitled to compensation for their injuries and medical expenses. Contact a reputable product liability lawyer today if you believe you have been adversely affected by alleged Januvia side effects, to find out if you are eligible for financial compensation.
