Byetta Pancreatic Cancer Allegation Lawsuits Update: Resource4thePeople Awaiting Federal Court Decision on Possible Creation of Multidistrict Litigation
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) August 17, 2013 -- http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivedrugs/byetta.html
Resource4thePeople announced today that a federal judiciary panel was considering consolidating federal lawsuits alleging that pancreatitis and other serious health problems can be caused by Byetta and similar type 2 diabetes medications.
“We are awaiting the decision by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation over whether a multidistrict litigation should be created for lawsuits* alleging that Byetta and similar drugs caused cancer of the pancreas or thyroid,” said Resource4thePeople.
“Once that ruling comes down the information will be posted on our website for consumers who have been following the progress of lawsuits alleging that Byetta and sister medications used to treat Type 2 diabetes caused pancreatic cancer.”
The federal panel heard oral arguments July 25 over whether lawsuits involving allegations against Byetta, Januvia and Victoza, among other medications should be consolidated before a single federal judge overseeing pre-trial evidence-gathering and other legal actions, according to the court file.
"In court filings the defendants have agreed with the consolidation of these lawsuits and that the proper court for these cases should be the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California in San Diego,” said Resource4thePeople.
“This is an important legal development in the progress of these lawsuits and among the panel’s options are consolidating all of the lawsuits or separating them into separate multidistrict litigations.”
There are at least 42 lawsuits* in the petition that the panel is considering and Resource4thePeople is advising consumers who have inquired about their possible claims that they will be eligible to file additional cases in the future if the multidistrict litigation is approved.
"We are also announcing that whether or not this petition is approved, our nationwide network of attorneys will continue to offer free legal consultations to consumers seeking information about legal options they may have to seek compensation for their allegations involving pancreatic or thyroid cancer," said Resource4thePeople.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a March 14, 2013 announcement** about its investigation into possible links between these medications and pancreatitis and cancer.
The FDA identified these drugs as exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), liraglutide (Victoza), sitagliptin (Januvia, Janumet, Janumet XR, Juvisync), saxagliptin (Onglyza, Kombiglyze XR), alogliptin (Nesina, Kazano, Oseni), and linagliptin (Tradjenta, Jentadueto).
The complimentary consultations were offered in response to a large volume of inquiries from consumers triggered by the FDA's announcement about possible increased risk of pancreatitis and pre-cancerous findings of the pancreas from incretin mimetic drugs.
“There are a significant number of Americans who treat their diabetes with these medications and the FDA announcement has had widespread ramifications in terms of patients seeking information about their legal options,” said Resource4thePeople.
“In its announcement, an FDA spokesman said that the findings were based on examination of a small number of pancreatic tissue specimens taken from patients after they died from unspecified causes."
The FDA has asked researchers to provide the methodology used to collect and study these specimens and to provide the tissue samples so the agency can further investigate potential pancreatic toxicity associated with the incretin mimetics.
Byetta was originally approved by the FDA and released onto the market in 2005, with its primary function being to help patients with diabetes manage their condition.
It is applied by injection and it and the other incretin mimetics, according to the FDA, mimic the incretin hormones that the body usually produces naturally to stimulate the release of insulin in response to a meal.
The agency said the medications are used along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
In its announcement, the FDA reiterated a previous public warning “about postmarketing reports of acute pancreatitis, including fatal and serious nonfatal cases, associated with the use of incretin mimetic drugs exenatide and sitagliptin.”
An agency official also said that a recently published study that examined insurance records also found the use of exenatide or sitagliptin could double the risk of developing acute pancreatitis.
The official said that the Warnings and Precautions section of the drug labels and the patient Medication Guides for incretin mimetics contain warnings about the risk of acute pancreatitis.
Resource4thePeople also is providing consumers some of the cautionary analysis about Byetta and its sister drugs. Here are some of the warnings and precautions taken from the agency’s web site:***
What is the most important information I should know about BYETTA?
Serious side effects can happen in people who take BYETTA, including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) which may be severe and lead to death.Before taking BYETTA, tell your healthcare provider if you have had:
pancreatitis.
stones in your gallbladder (gallstones).
a history of alcoholism.
high blood triglyceride levels.
These medical conditions can make you more likely to get pancreatitis in general. It is not known if having these conditions will lead to a higher chance of getting pancreatitis while taking BYETTA.
Resource4thePeople also is recommending that consumers update themselves on media reports about the side effects, such as one recently posted by Bloomberg News about the research study and concerns about the safety of the medication as voiced by the FDA earlier and by physicians:****
“Doctors have been concerned that this category of diabetes treatments may damage the pancreas since the FDA said in 2007 it received a high number of reports of pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta.
http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivedrugs/byetta.html
Sources:
MDL #2452 In Re: Incretins Products Liability, Sales and Marketing Litigation, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
**http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugSafetyPodcasts/ucm344232.htm
***http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/UCM191084.pdf
****http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-22/diabetes-drugs-may-cause-damage-to-pancreas-study-finds.html
Bill Callahan, iLawSuit, +1 (858) 602-2749, [email protected]
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