Olumiant Lawsuit

Olumiant is an arthritis drug that is linked to a higher risk of cancer, blood clots, heart attacks, strokes and death.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Olumiant induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or a loved one had a heart attack, stroke, blood clots cancer or died after taking Olumiant, 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 toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

What is Olumiant?

Olumiant (active ingredient: baricitinib) is a prescription medicine for the treatment of adults with moderate or severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after other treatments have failed.

What are JAK Inhibitors?

Olumiant belongs to a class of drugs known as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, which also includes Xeljanz® (active ingredient: tofacitinib) and Rinvoq® (active ingredient: upadacitinib). These medications reduce pain, stiffness and swelling by blocking inflammation-causing proteins called cytokines in the immune system.

How Does Olumiant Work?

Oluminant and other JAK inhibitors are immunosuppressant drugs (a medicine that reduces the activity of the immune system). They work by blocking cytokines, which cause inflammation in the body — but cytokines also fight off infections, and protect the body against cancer.

What is the Problem?

In recent studies, JAK inhibitors have been linked to significantly higher rates of cancer and other deadly side effects compared to another type of anti-inflammatory medication known as a TNF blocker.

FDA Warning for Deadly Side Effects of Olumiant

In September 2021, the FDA ordered drug-makers to add “Black Box” safety warnings on Olumiant about the risk of cancer, heart-related events, blood clots and death.

Serious Side Effects of Olumiant

• Death
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Heart-related events
• Cancer
• Lymphoma
• Lung cancer
• Blood clots
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
• Pulmonary Embolism
• And more

What Happened?

Olumiant is a JAK inhibitor, which is the same type of drug as Xeljanz. After a safety study linked Xeljanz with an increased risk of blood clots, cancer, heart-related events, and death, the FDA ordered drug-makers to add these same side effects to the label on Olumiant.

“Since [Olumiant] share mechanisms of action with Xeljanz, FDA considers that these medicines may have similar risks as seen in the Xeljanz safety trial.”

Timeline of FDA Warnings

When Xeljanz was approved in 2012, the FDA required Pfizer to complete a safety study comparing Xeljanz with another type of arthritis medicine — Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) blockers — in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The study compared the side effects of TNF blockers with Xeljanz at high and low doses (10-mg twice daily and 5-mg twice daily).

Unfortunately, the study showed an increased risk of blood clots, cancer, heart attacks, strokes and death with both high and low doses of Xeljanz compared to TNF blockers.

In January 2019, the FDA reported 19 cases of blood clots in the lungs and 45 deaths in patients who were taking higher doses of Xeljanz (10-mg twice daily), compared to 3 cases of blood clots in the lungs and 25 deaths in patients who were taking TNF blockers.

In February 2019, the FDA issued a Safety Announcement about an increased risk of blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism) and death from higher doses of Xeljanz. In July 2019, the FDA required a Black Box warning.

In February 2021, the FDA reported that lower doses of Xeljanz were also linked to an increased risk of cancer and serious heart-related events, such as strokes and heart attacks, in addition to blood clots and death.

In September 2021, the FDA required Pfizer to add a warning label to Xeljanz, Olumiant, and Rinvoq regarding the increased risk of heart-related events, such as stroke and heart attack, cancer, blood clots, and death.

Do I have an Olumiant Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Olumiant induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or a loved one had a heart attack, stroke, blood clots cancer or died after taking Olumiant, 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 toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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