A new study conducted by researchers from Italy has added to mounting concerns about the potential side effects of diabetes drugs like Byetta and Januvia, confirming the findings of U.S. studies that have linked the medications to pancreatic damage. Byetta and Januvia were introduced in the United States in 2005 and 2006, respectively, and since then have been associated with an increased risk of pancreatic damage among users, possibly leading to pancreatic cancer. If you took Byetta or Januvia in the past, and you have since been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, our consumer advocates can help put you in touch with an attorney in your area who has experience handling Byetta and Januvia cases. With a qualified lawyer on your side, you may be able to pursue financial compensation for your drug-related medical expenses and other damages.
In the study, published earlier this month in the medical journal Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, researchers examined 1,169 adverse event reports involving incretin mimetics, a relatively new class of diabetes drugs that includes Byetta, Januvia, Victoza and Janumet. During their research, they found 90 instances of pancreatitis and elevated pancreatic enzymes, with more than one-third of the cases being considered serious. “Our data from the daily clinical practice add up and confirm the information available on the association between incretin-mimetics and pancreatic damage and suggest caution in the prescribing of these new drugs and a close monitoring of exposed patients,” the researchers reported.
This latest research echoes previous findings that cases of chronic pancreatitis associated with incretin mimetics may lead to the development of pancreatic cancer in some users. In February 2013, researchers from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore found that patients taking Byetta or Januvia had twice the risk of hospitalization due to pancreatitis. The following month, another study published in the journal Diabetes found that patients who took an incretin mimetic drug were more likely to have increased pancreatic mass and precancerous cells, which could evolve into tumors. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that current data doesn’t show any evidence of heightened pancreatic cancer risk among Byetta and Januvia users, concerns about the safety of the medications continue to be voiced.
As more information about the risk of pancreatic damage and pancreatic cancer linked to these diabetes drugs comes to light, users throughout the country are pursuing product liability lawsuits against the drug manufacturing companies, alleging that they failed to provide adequate side effect warnings for consumers. There are currently more than 150 pancreatic cancer complaints centralized for pretrial proceedings in the Southern District of California, and thousands more lawsuits are expected to be filed in the coming months and years. If you believe you have been adversely affected by a potentially dangerous medication like Byetta or Januvia, consult a skilled attorney in your area to discuss the possibility of filing a product liability claim against Amylin Pharmaceuticals or Merck.
[box type=”note” align=”aligncenter” ]Source: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1517/14740338.2014.853036[/box]
