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Janumet Lawsuit

Janumet Lawsuit

Janumet (sitagliptin and metformin) is a type-2 diabetes medication that helps a diabetic person control their blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, side effects of this medication may include pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, and rhabdomyolysis.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Janumet induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Janumet Side Effects

FDA Evaluating Rhabdomyolysis Risk

The FDA is evaluating a potential signals of a serious risk and new safety information linking DPP4 diabetes drugs and rhabdomyolysis. This potentially life-threatening kidney side effect was identified by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) between April and June 2017.

UPDATE: FDA Warning Links Janumet and Severe Joint Pain

August 28, 2015 — The FDA is warning that Janumet may cause severe, disabling joint pain. Click here to read more.

August 26, 2013 — The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has centralized more than 50 lawsuits involving diabetes drugs into the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Plaintiffs allege that Janumet caused their pancreatic cancer or the wrongful death of a family member. Click here to read more.

March 15, 2013 — FDA publishes Safety Alert regarding potential risk of pancreatic cancer. Click here to read more.

February 26, 2013 — Study published in JAMA Internal Medicine links Januvia (sitagliptin), Byetta (exenatide), and other GLP-1 diabetes drugs to a doubled risk of pancreatitis. Click here to read more.

Janumet Overview

Janumet (sitagliptin / metformin) is used along with diet and exercise to treat patients with type-2 diabetes. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2007. Janumet manufactured by the drug company Merck, which created sitagliptin (sold alone as Januvia). Sitagliptin is the first anti-diabetic medication that works by inhibiting the enzyme DPP-4, which causes the pancreas to secrete extra insulin. More insulin in the body lowers blood-sugar levels.

Janumet contains a combination of the following medications:

  • Sitagliptin: DPP-4 inhibitor, causes the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Has been linked to an increased risk of acute pancreatitis, hemorrhagic pancreatitis, necrotizing pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and more
  • Metformin: Works by decreasing the amount of sugar that the body can absorb from food, decreases the amount of glucose produced by the liver, and increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin. It has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks, cardiovascular events, lactic acidosis, and more.

What is Type-2 Diabetes?

Type-2 Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder. People with Type-2 diabetes have insulin resistance and chronic problems controlling their blood-sugar levels. Normally, when a person eats food, the body absorbs sugar from food and turns it into glucose, which is dissolved in the bloodstream. Simultaneously, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that tells cells to stop using reserved energy and start absorbing glucose from the bloodstream. For people with Type-2 diabetes, the cells are resistant to insulin. They do not respond as effectively, and they do not absorb enough sugar from the bloodstream. This causes high blood sugar levels. Januvia and Janumet help a diabetic person control their blood sugar more effectively, but they do not cure type-2 diabetes.

Janumet and Cancer

The sitagliptin in Janumet inhibits an enzyme called DPP-4. Researchers have discovered that DPP-4 prevents cancerous tumors from growing into surrounding tissues. When DPP-4 is inhibited, the body may have a reduced ability to stop the progression of certain cancers.

In July 2011, the journal Gastroenterology published a study of adverse event reports from 2004-2009. The researchers compared side effects of sitagliptin to four other diabetes drugs. They found that people taking sitagliptin were 2.7-times more likely to have pancreatic cancer.

FDA Warnings for Janumet

In September 2009, the FDA published the following Safety Warning to announce that Janumet was associated with 88 cases of pancreatitis between 2006 and 2009. Two cases of hemorrhagic and necrotizing pancreatitis were also reported.

Janumet Side Effects

Lactic acidosis is a side effect of metformin. People with this condition suffer a life-threatening build-up of lactic acid in the blood, which can cause death. Early symptoms of lactic acidosis include weakness, fatigue, muscle pain, trouble breathing, sleepiness, stomach or intestinal problems, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, feeling cold, and irregular heartbeat. People with kidney, liver, or heart problems have a higher risk of suffering lactic acidosis.

Other Janumet side effects:

  • Acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
  • Hemorrhagic pancreatitis (bleeding in the pancreas)
  • Necrotizing pancreatitis (death of pancreatic tissue)
  • Cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Lactic acidosis
  • Death

Do I have a Janumet Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Janumet induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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