As we have previously reported, safety concerns regarding incretin mimetics (such as Byetta, Januvia/Janumet and Victoza), led to more than a thousand lawsuits being filed across the country. Reports suggest that people taking the medications for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes may be at an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
Read More about Drugmakers React to Reinstatement of Incretin Mimetics Cases
Victoza (liraglutide), an injectable Type II diabetes drug, which works by stimulating insulin production by the pancreas, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) in 2010.
When taken in high doses (3 milligrams), Victoza, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, has been shown to help individuals lose weight. The drug suppresses an individual’s appetite, as well as decreases the absorption of sugar from the digestive system, and slows movement of food through the digestive system.
In essence, the individual is likely to feel fuller for a longer period of time when taking Victoza. Accordingly, individuals began reporting weight loss while taking Victoza.
Subsequently, in August 2017, the FDA also approved Victoza to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death, in adults with Type II diabetes and established cardiovascular disease.
As we have previously reported, safety concerns regarding incretin mimetics (such as Byetta, Januvia/Janumet and Victoza), led to more than a thousand lawsuits being filed across the country.
Reports suggest that people taking the medications for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes may be at an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
In August 2013, those lawsuits were consolidated in a Multi-District Litigation (MDL), before Judge Anthony J. Battaglia, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The litigation suffered an unexpected setback when, in November 2015, the trial court granted summary judgment, essentially dismissing the claims.
Read More about Incretin Mimetics Cases See Signs of New Life on Appeal
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that Type 2 diabetes drugs in the Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors class may cause severe joint pain. Januvia/Janumet (Sitagliptin) was developed and marketed by Merck & Co. as an oral anti-hyperglycemic beginning in 2006. It was the first approved medication in the DPP-4 class to hit the market. Januvia is widely prescribed and is expected to exceed sales of over $7 billion per year by 2018.
The FDA safety report warns that ingestion of DPP-4 inhibitors may cause severe and disabling joint pain. The FDA said it identified cases of severe joint pain associated with the use of DPP-4 inhibitors in a review of medical literature and adverse events reported to the FDA. Patients started having symptoms from one day to years after they started taking DPP-4 inhibitors like Januvia/Janumet. Incretin mimetic medications, including Januvia/Janumet have already been connected to serious injuries including pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
If you or a loved one have suffered from pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer after taking Januvia/Janumet, Byetta or Victoza, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort/Pharmaceutical Litigation attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any potential claims.
The litigation regarding incretin mimetics, such as Byetta, Januvia/Janumet and Victoza, continues to grow across the country. Byetta (Exenatide), manufactured by Amylin Pharmaceuticals, in association with Eli Lilly and Co., entered the market in 2005 for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Byetta, now sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, is a type of incretin mimetic that is administered as a subcutaneous injection of the abdomen, thigh or arm within 60 minutes of a person’s first and last meal of the day (i.e. two injections a day).
The incretin mimetic litigation is centralized in federal and state courts in California. This consolidation streamlines the pretrial discovery process, allowing the parties to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent rulings from different judges across the country. AstraZeneca disclosed in a second quarter financial report that it had resolved 84 Byetta lawsuits for an undisclosed amount of money. The parties continue to move forward in the litigation in hopes of reaching a global settlement. The next Case Management Conference is set for mid-September and will address various issues including the parties’ progress in discovery.
If you or a loved one have suffered from pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer after taking Januvia/Janumet, Byetta or Victoza, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort/Pharmaceutical Litigation attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any potential claims.
As we have previously reported, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has asked all pharmaceutical companies involved in the development or marketing of incretin-based medications (Januvia/Janumet/Byetta/Victoza) to make patient level data on their products available for an independent review. Research into the safety of these incretin medications continues across the globe.
A recent study published in the medical journal, Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, confirms other U.S. studies that link incretin mimetic medications to pancreatic damage. The researchers from Ferrara, Italy, looked at 1,169 adverse drug reaction reports that concerned incretin mimetics and found 90 instances of pancreatitis and elevated pancreatic enzymes, with more than a third of those cases serious. This raises concerns that cases of chronic pancreatitis may lead to pancreatic cancer among some users.
If you or a loved one have suffered from pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer after taking Januvia/Janumet, Byetta or Victoza, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort/Pharmaceutical Litigation attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any potential claims.
As we have previously reported, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) granted multidistrict litigation (MDL) treatment to the incretin mimetic litigation, meaning that all federal lawsuits filed across the United States are now centralized in one judicial district. The incretin mimetic litigation, which includes the medications Byetta, Januvia/Janumet and Victoza, was centralized in the Southern District of California. This consolidation streamlines the pretrial discovery process, allowing the parties to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent rulings from different judges.
The Honorable Anthony J. Battaglia is presiding over the litigation in the Southern District of California. Judge Battaglia recently set deadlines for the parties regarding the composition of the Master Consolidated Answer. The court tentatively set December 31, 2013, as the deadline for when Defendants must file the Master Consolidated Answer.
If you or a loved one has suffered from pancreatic cancer after taking Byetta, Januvia/Janumet or Victoza, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort/Pharmaceutical Litigation attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any potential claims.
As we have previously reported, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) granted multidistrict litigation (MDL) treatment to the incretin mimetic litigation, meaning that all federal lawsuits filed across the United States are now centralized in one judicial district. The incretin mimetic litigation, which includes the medications Byetta, Januvia/Janumet and Victoza, was centralized in the Southern District of California. This consolidation streamlines the pretrial discovery process, allowing the parties to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent rulings from different judges.
The federal court recently held its first status conference in the MDL proceedings. The Honorable Anthony J. Battaglia, District Court Judge, scheduled the conference to discuss the appointment of lead and liaison counsel for the plaintiffs and defendants. The parties prepared a Joint Status Report that addressed various discovery and case related matters in the litigation. There are roughly 100 cases currently pending and it is expected that thousands more will follow in the near future.
If you or a loved one has suffered from pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer after taking Byetta, Januvia/Janumet or Victoza, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort/Pharmaceutical Litigation attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any potential claims.
As we have previously reported, recent evidence suggests that incretin mimetic medications are linked to pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has asked all pharmaceutical companies involved in the development or marketing of incretin-based medications to make patient level data on their products available for an independent review. The ADA is concerned with the causal link between these medications, commonly sold as Byetta, Januvia/Janumet and Victoza, and pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
The ADA is calling all pharmaceutical companies with incretin therapies in development or currently marketed to make this patient-level data available.
If you or a loved one have suffered from pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer after taking Byetta, Januvia/Janumet or Victoza, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort/Pharmaceutical Litigation attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any potential claims.
As we previously reported, the United States Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation (MDL) convened to determine whether the cases, known as IN RE: INCRETIN MIMETICS PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION, should be given MDL treatment. Granting MDL treatment consolidates all federal lawsuits filed across the United States into one centralized district. This consolidation streamlines the pretrial discovery process, allowing the parties to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent rulings from different judges.
The Judicial Panel granted MDL status and signed a Transfer Order on August 26, 2013. The cases will be consolidated and transferred to U.S. District Court in the Southern District of California and presided over by the Honorable Anthony J. Battaglia. The Judicial Panel decided the Southern District of California was appropriate given the volume of filings that currently pend in that district and the fact that Judge Battaglia is familiar with the case. Notably, the case caption has been changed to “In re Incretin-Based Therapies Products Liability Litigation.”
If you or a loved one has suffered from pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer after taking Byetta, Januvia/Janumet or Victoza, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort/Pharmaceutical Litigation attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any potential claims.
