Canadian Invokana Diabetes Patient Sues Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Saskatoon, SKVeteran attorney Anthony Merchant from the Merchant Law Group in Canada is leading the charge against Janssen Pharmaceuticals’s type 2 diabetes drug, Invokana. His firm is now handling at least 36 cases involving death or injury allegedly related to Invokana.

Among them is the case of Buffie Tarr.

Tarr was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2007.

Eight years later, a new drug, designed and manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, became available in Canada. Invokana was licensed for use in May 2014. Several months later in August 2015, Buffie Tarr’s doctor in the small Canadian prairie town of Saskatoon prescribed Invokana for Tarr.

Two weeks later, Tarr ended up in the hospital. She was extremely ill. She was vomiting, suffering from dehydration, and had migraine headaches. Doctors quickly determined that Tarr was suffering from ketoacidosis and kidney failure.

Ketoacidosis related to type 2 diabetes is characterized by vomiting, confusion, dehydration and difficulty breathing.

According to the documents filed with Court of Queen’s Bench in Regina, Saskatchewan, Buffie Tarr “went into septic shock and had to be kept in hospital” for several weeks and her condition was so severe that “Ms. Tarr could have died.”

She had not been given any warning that using Invokana could result in ketoacidosis or kidney failure. As the lawsuit states, “Had Ms. Tarr been warned of the risk of ketoacidosis or kidney failure, she would not have taken the drug.”

The suit, which is part of a larger class-action suit, claims that Janssen Pharmaceuticals failed to provide patients with a proper warning on its monograph regarding potential for kidney failure and ketoacidosis. It also alleges that Janssen did not do proper long-term testing to determine the effect Invokana has on the kidneys.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals maintains Invokana is a safe and effective drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Doctors in Canada routinely prescribe Invokana for diabetics that need to control glucose levels.