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Januvia Pancreatic Cancer, Januvia Thyroid Cancer

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Januvia is a drug prescribed to help treat adults with type-2 diabetes. In September 25, 2009 the FDA issued a revision to the warning label of the drug Januvia or Janumet--a combination drug comprised of Januvia and Metformin--regarding Januvia side effects, including Januvia pancreatic cancer and Januvia thyroid cancer. If you have taken the Januvia diabetes drug and are concerned about Januvia and cancer and/or Januvia and pancreatitis, you should speak with an attorney about a possible Januvia lawsuit.

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Januvia Pancreatic Cancer

Januvia Diabetes DrugJanuvia is a type 2 diabetes that is also available in a combination pill (known as Janumet) that contains the drug metformin. (Janumet 50/500 is 500mg of Metformin plus 50mg of Januvia.)

Januvia (sitagliptin) and Janumet (sitagliptin/metformin) are the first in a new class of oral diabetes medications, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors that improve blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Januvia - which works by affecting different cells in the pancreas - first came on the market in late 2006. However, after that release, the FDA received dozens of reports of pancreatitis from patients who were using Januvia. For many, their symptoms were later resolved once they stopped taking the drug.


Januvia/Janumet and Pancreatic Cancer

Januvia was approved by the FDA in October 2006. Between October 16, 2006 and February 9, 2009, the agency received 88 post-marketing cases of acute pancreatitis, including two cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis. Sixty-six of those patients required hospitalization, and four of the patients were transferred to the intensive care unit. The FDA review of these 88 patients found that 19 patients (21 percent) of pancreatitis occurred within 30 days of starting Januvia. As well, just over half of the cases were resolved once Januvia was discontinued.

Januvia/Janumet and PancreatitisThe FDA has asked Merck to update its Januvia warning label to reflect these new dangers and include:
  • Information regarding post-marketing reports of acute pancreatitis, including the severe forms, hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis.

  • Recommending that healthcare professionals monitor patients carefully for the development of pancreatitis after initiation or dose increases of sitagliptin or sitagliptin/metformin, and to discontinue sitagliptin or sitagliptin/metformin if pancreatitis is suspected while using these products.

  • Information noting that sitagliptin has not been studied in patients with a history of pancreatitis. Therefore, it is not known whether these patients are at an increased risk for developing pancreatitis while using sitagliptin or sitagliptin/metformin.

  • Sitagliptin or sitagliptin/metformin should be used with caution and with appropriate monitoring in patients with a history of pancreatitis.

Januvia, which is manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc., is similar to Byetta: both drugs target a natural body system called the incretin system, which helps to regulate glucose by affecting the beta cells and alpha cells in the pancreas. However, Januvia is an oral medication and Byetta is a twice-daily injectable medication. Byetta has also been linked to severe kidney problems, including pancreatitis. (But a study in September 2008 showed that Byetta provided greater reduction in post-meal glucose levels than Januvia in type 2 diabetes patients.)

A more recent study (May 2009) found that Januvia could lead to a form of low-grade pancreatitis in some patients and a higher risk of pancreatic cancer in people who use the drug over a long period of time. Although Januvia has successfully lowered blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, health professionals are urging caution, particularly because the effect of the drug may not be evident for years. Januvia Type 2 Diabetes Pancreatitis(It took more than 3 years to associate Byetta with pancreatitis and warnings have only recently been made public about Januvia, even though the FDA received adverse Januvia side effects from 2006.)

Meanwhile, a study published in 2011 in the journal Gastroenterology (07/11) found a link between the use of Januvia and an increased risk of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. According to researchers, patients who took Januvia had six times the increased risk of pancreatitis and 2.7 times the risk of pancreatic cancer. Other researchers, however, said the study was flawed and the drugs had no such increased risk.

Diabetes affects more than 23 million in the US alone and about 90-95 percent of those affected have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the US and costs approximately $132 billion per year in direct and indirect medical expenses. Furthermore, 85 percent of type 2 diabetes patients are overweight and 55 percent are considered obese.

Currently Januvia attorneys are investigating potential lawsuits against Merck & Co alleging product liability, negligence and failure to warn claims.

Januvia Side Effects Legal Help

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JANUVIA LEGAL ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS

Invokana Lawsuits Consolidated into MDL in New Jersey
Invokana Lawsuits Consolidated into MDL in New Jersey
November 20, 2017
Trenton, NJ: The FDA warns of fracture risk with Invokana and Invokamet and more recently of a higher risk for foot and leg amputation. The lawsuit chickens have now come home to roost. READ MORE

Janumet Patient Felled by Cancer of the Pancreas in 2012
Janumet Patient Felled by Cancer of the Pancreas in 2012
August 22, 2017
Los Angeles, CA: When Janumet (sitagliptin and metformin combined) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007, the type 2 diabetes drug was within five years of achieving sales of $1.7 Billion. That year, when Janumet hit blockbuster status by 2012, the parent drug of Janumet – Januvia – earned $4 Billion for manufacturer Merck & Co. Januvia has been associated with Januvia side effects, and has resulted in Januvia cancer lawsuits. READ MORE

FDA Black Box Warning Adds Fuel to Invokana Lawsuits
FDA Black Box Warning Adds Fuel to Invokana Lawsuits
June 24, 2017

Philadelphia, PA Final results from two independent clinical trials indicate the amputation risk for users of the Type 2 Diabetes drug Canagliflozin, marketed as Invokana, Invokamet, Invokamet XR, are much greater than previously understood.


The FDA was so concerned about the information the studies provided that it moved immediately to ensure consumers are warned about the increased risk of leg and foot amputations through a Boxed Warning label on all Invokana prescriptions.


“I think the fact that the independent clinical trials lead to a situation where the FDA went straight to a black box warning, its highest level of scrutiny, just shows how important and how critical this information is to the public,” says Brian J. McCormick Jr., a Philadelphia attorney from the firm of Ross Feller Casey.


To McCormick, Jr. the studies confirm and add significant weight to the many personal injury claims he and his firm are bringing forward on behalf of diabetic Americans that allege they have been injured as a result of using Invokana to control their Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.


The studies (CANVAS Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study) and the CANVAS-R (A Study of the Effects of Canagliflozin on Renal Endpoints in Adult Participants with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) showed, according to a FDA website safety warning (May 2017), that leg and foot amputation occurred about twice as often in patients treated with Canagliflozin compared to patients taking a placebo.


“It is a terrible progression for some of these patients,” says McCormick. “They go in and they have a diabetic foot ulcer and they don’t how bad it is. They have one amputation and then they go back and have another toe removed – and next thing they know they have half their foot removed.”


According to the FDA safety communication on May 15, 2017, “Amputations of the toe and middle of the foot were the most common; however, amputations involving the leg, below and above the knee, also occurred. Some patients had more than one amputation, some involving both limbs.”


“Our firm is investigating both Ketoacidosis cases and we are also investigating amputation cases,” says McCormick. “We have a number of clients we are working with and I think at the end of the day what this new information shows, and will show in court, is that Johnson & Johnson did know that this risk existed and chose not to do anything about it.”


Canagliflozin is licensed for sale in North America by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The drug is designed to be used in combination with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes patients. The drug is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor that causes sugar to be eliminated through the urine.


Invokana was first approved for sale by the FDA in March 2015. Within three months the FDA had 100 reports of Ketoacidosis and kidney damage in Invokana users. In May 2015, the FDA ordered the label contain a Ketoacidosis warning. By 2016, the FDA had added possible kidney damage to the Invokana warnings. In May 2017, it added increased risk of amputation.


“Some of these patients are otherwise healthy but for this terrible injury all of a sudden. They have been on this drug for a few months, or perhaps a few years and now they are seeing this Box Warning and putting two and two together,” McCormick says. “All of a sudden this is happening. No one told them about this and it would have changed how they handled their diabetes.”


The Invokana lawsuits have been consolidated in an MDL in New Jersey. The cases are going through case management process with discovery expected at a later date. It will be some time before the cases go to trial.
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READER COMMENTS

Posted by

on
I taking medication for two week. It make me very tired and it not normal. It make me sick I stop taking januvia. I look online alots people got cancer from it. I stop immediately. Nobody told me about it until today.

Posted by

on
I was prescribed Januvia during 2017, I took this medication along with Metformin and within three days I noticed that my feet had developed blister around and between the toes. The skin on the bottom of my left foot began to peel. It's been several months now and the skin on the bottom of my foot continues to peel.

Posted by

on
Hi my mom was taking januvia for a couple years and started having stomachs pains about Sept.2016 and she died Jan.16 2017 from pancreatic cancer stage 4 she was a very hard working woman never really had any illnesses but I would like to know why they didn't give better warning on their drugs or take them off the market so people don't have to lose their loved ones if anyone could help I'd appreciate it

Posted by

on
I was prescribed Januvia in March of 2015. In August of 2015 I have an unexplained explosion of swelling and extremely painful joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, knees and feet). The Dr's were baffled as blood tests showed RA factor elevated yet physical exams and x-rays did not confirm the RA. Over the next year I was on a combination of Steroids and pain medication to combat the joint issues, which drove my sugar level up, while still taking Januvia. In June of this yea I was taken off he steroids due to long term use and immediately flared to the point I was in a wheel chair. In August I discovered an FDA statement from Aug 2015 that a side effect of Januvia is "extreme, prolonged and debilitating swelling and pain in joints". I discussed this with my DR who could no find any such warning on the Januvia site, showed him the FDA statement and he discontinued the drug. Since then (8-29-2016) the swelling has decreased though pain is still present but manageable. Sugar level have returned to a semblance of normal (even lower than with Januvia alone). Appointments forthcoming to discover what damage was done to joints BUT I have been suffering what can only be called "withdrawal" symptoms from the drug. NONE OF THIS CAN BE FOUND ON THE MANUFACTUER'S WEB SITE.

Posted by

on
I have been a type 2 diabetic for 20 years and my new doctor just put me on Januvia , and after reading all these articles I'm scared to death, he never mentioned the danger.

Posted by

on
I have been a diabtic for several years, all i was on was Metforman. In April i went to the doctor and my sugar was high. He put me on Januvia and within a week and a half, i was in the er with sugar almost 900. I was dehydrated and severly lethargic.

Posted by

on
On 3/2/2015, my father started taking Januvia for pre-diabetes. Had complaints of severe abdominal pain. Two weeks later, on 03/23/2015, he was diagnosed with severe pancreatitis. On 03/25/2015, he passed away. Cause of death severe pancreatitis. Please help me and family.

Posted by

on
While I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, I was prescribed Metformin. While taking Metformin, I began to feel weak and nauseated. I also have lost strength in my arms and legs.

Posted by

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My mother, 67 years old, has been taking Januvia for the last five years. About a month ago, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We did find out it has not spread, but she is awaiting a surgery date to remove the cancer, spleen and part of her stomach.

Posted by

on
I took Januvia by prescription during the year 2010. During the year 2011, I was diagnosed with Pancreatitis. During the year 2012, I was diagnosed with Pancreatitis and then, pancreatic cancer. During January of 2013, I had surgery to remove part of my Pancreas and my spleen. Do I qualify for compensation???
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Posted by

on
i HAVE TAKEN THIS DRUG, HAD SEVERAL ABNORMAL RESULTS AND NO DOCTOR CAN PINPOINT WHY MY LYMPH NODES STAY SWOLLEN OR SORE, BLOOD TESTS ARE OFF I HAVE HAD TO HAVE 1/2 OF MY THYROID REMOVED AND NOW ON PERMANANENT MEDICATION. JANUVIA BYETTA AND LIPITIOR ARE ALL BAD DRUGS...AND PATIENTS MUST BE WELL INFORMED BEFORE EVEN CONSIDERING TAKING THESE DANGEROUS DRUGS

Posted by

on
Her mother started taking Metformin, Januvia and Dexilant and developed pancreatitis. She is now insulin dependent and has two leaking valves in her heart and a heart murmur.

Posted by

on
I have complained in vain about discomfort and vomiting after taking my meds. fear of taking my meds to control my type 2 diabetes.

Posted by

on
Mother passed away due to pancreatic cancer 9 February 2012.

Posted by

on
I was diagnosed as a diabetic in July of 2011, and was prescribed Januvia, Metformin and Glimperide for treatment. After being treated for blood loss and back pain, I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer on April 18,2012.

Posted by

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My husband spent the last three months of his life not being able to eat food at all. He suffered so much and I do not want anyone else to go through what he went through.

Posted by

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Nausea, vomiting, intense upper abdominal pain, can not eat due to pain. Lost 37 lbs and can not stop loosing weight. In constant pain.

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