New Jersey Man Claims Diabetes Medicine Caused His Heart Disease

Trenton, NJA New Jersey man has filed a federal lawsuit against drug manufacturers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals, claiming he suffered injuries after taking the diabetes drug Saxagliptin, sold under the brand names Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR.

Earl Binns filed the lawsuit Earl Binns v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company et al, Case No. 3:17-cv-03028, US District Court, District of New Jersey on May 2, 2017, claiming that he developed coronary heart disease and congestive heart failure as a result of taking Saxagliptin.

Saxagliptin is used to help lower blood sugar levels in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The FDA approved Onglyza (Saxagliptin) in 2009.

In his lawsuit, Binn claims that Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astrazeneca allegedly knew that there was a "significant, increased risk" of adverse events associated with Saxagliptin.

"Despite such knowledge, defendants knowingly, purposely and deliberately failed to adequately warn plaintiff, patients, consumers, medical providers and the public of the increased risk of serious injury associated with using Saxagliptin including but not limited to heart failure, congestive heart failure, cardiac failure, and death related to those events," according to the complaint.

Binn's lawsuit also alleges that the drug manufacturers failed to perform adequate testing concerning the safety of Saxagliptin or provide sufficient training to sales representatives who sold the products.

Other Saxagliptin lawsuits have also been filed, alleging that the makers of Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR failed to warn people who allegedly suffered congestive heart failure or other heart disease after taking the medications.

In February 2017, Texas resident Wrendell Chester filed a lawsuit Wrendell Chester v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company et al, Case No. 4:17-cv-00316, US District Court, Southern District of Texas against Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals LP and McKesson Corporation. Chester alleged that he suffered heart failure, congestive heart failure and hypoxic respiratory failure, a condition where there isn't enough oxygen in the blood, after he took both Onglyza and XR (saxagliptin and metformin extended release) between 2010 and 2015, according to the lawsuit.

In April 2016, the FDA issued a drug safety communication, adding heart failure risk warnings to labels of type 2 diabetes medicines that contain saxagliptin and Alogliptin.

"Type 2 diabetes medicines containing saxagliptin and alogliptin may increase the risk of heart failure, particularly in patients who already have heart or kidney disease," the FDA wrote in its warning. "Heart failure can result in the heart not being able to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs."


Astrazeneca added heart failure risk warnings to Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR package labels in 2016.