Washington, DCAs reports of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer associated with Januvia increase, so do Januvia lawsuits.
A new report by AdverseEvents, a California-based company that analyzes post-market side effect data, says that Janumet and Januvia showed elevated signals for both pancreatitis and Januvia pancreatic cancer.
“The only way to fully review a drug’s safety is to track and monitor side effects as the general population begins utilizing the drugs on an ongoing basis, in real-world circumstances,” Brian Overstreet, CEO of AdverseEvents, said.
There is still controversy regarding the link between diabetes drugs such as Januvia and pancreatic cancer. Overstreet says that many of the newer diabetes drugs warn about this dangerous side effect but the warning labels still do not include information about the threat of pancreatic cancer, a disease that kills.
Given the fact that there are 26 million people in the US with type 2 diabetes - a 10 percent increase in just three years - pharmaceutical companies are rushing to supply the demand and some critics say that safety issues are put aside in their hurry to get the drug to market. This means that consumers have to find out for themselves the actual safety profile of a drug like Januvia, and suffer the consequences. “Over and over again, when safety concerns are raised, the FDA is approving the drug, then asking companies to do a study on its safety,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, founder and senior adviser for the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, according to drugwatch.com.
Januvia pancreatic cancer lawsuits
One recent lawsuit filed by a Connecticut woman claims she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has suffered severe physical, economic and emotional injuries as a result of using Januvia. The lawsuit alleges that “Defendants concealed their knowledge that Janumet can cause life threatening pancreatic cancer from Plaintiff, other consumers, the general public, and the medical community. Indeed, the manufacturers of Januvia and Janumet do not even mention pancreatic cancer in their drug’s respective product inserts.”
As of February 2014, 306 incretin mimetics (a class of drugs that includes Byetta and Januvia) cases nationwide have been consolidated before a federal judge in San Diego. According to court documents, the judge assigned to oversee these cases has begun setting guidelines for how the cases will proceed as pre-trial evidence gathering begins. The San Diego multidistrict litigation (MDL) was approved by a federal judiciary panel because of common allegations that the diabetes medications may cause pancreatic cancer.
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