We continue to hear from Januvia patients whose use of this drug allegedly resulted in a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis or thyroid cancer. We agree that the establishment of a multidistrict litigation would allow Januvia lawsuits to proceed.
New York, NY (PRWEB) July 27, 2013
As Januvia lawsuit claims continue to mount in courts around the country, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) heard Oral Arguments on July 25th regarding the possible consolidation of all federal product liability claims involving incretin mimetics and allegations that use of the Type 2 diabetes drugs increases risks for pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis and thyroid cancer. According to court documents, Merck & Co., the manufacturer of Januvia, has voiced support for the establishment of a federal multidistrict litigation for all alleged Januvia pancreatic cancer lawsuits filed in federal courts. (In Re: Incretins Products Liability, Sales and Marketing Litigation, MDL 2452, JPML)
“We continue to hear from Januvia patients whose use of this drug allegedly resulted in a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis or thyroid cancer. We agree that the establishment of a multidistrict litigation would allow Januvia lawsuits to proceed efficiently,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free Januvia lawsuit consultations to victims of pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis and thyroid cancer that may be associated with the drug.
Januvia Lawsuits
Court records indicate that more than 50 product liability claims involving incretin mimetics, including alleged Januvia pancreatic cancer lawsuits, have been filed in federal courts around the country. A federal multidistrict litigation, like the one being considered by the JPML, would transfer all pending and future federally-filed cases to a single federal court for pretrial proceedings. The aim of a consolidated litigation is to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent court rulings across a large number of similar lawsuits, and to preserve the resources of the court, parties and witnesses.
Januvia, which mimics the action of hormones in the intestinal tract that stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin, was brought to market in 2006. Just three years later, in 2009, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued a Januvia pancreatitis warning and strengthened cautions on the drug’s label after the agency became aware of 88 post-marketing cases of acute pancreatitis in patients taking Januvia.* Januvia also appeared to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis in a study published in 2011 in Gastroenterology. Two cases of thyroid cancer were also reported in the patients who took Januvia. **
This past March, the FDA announced it was investigating Januvia and other incretin mimetics after results from an unpublished study indicated these medications might cause pre-cancerous changes in the pancreas. *** A month later, the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices revealed that the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting database had received reports of 77 cases of pancreatitis, 18 cases of pancreatic cancer, and a single case of thyroid cancer in Januvia patients for the one year period ending June 2012. The ISMP also found that the entire class of incretin mimetics were 25 times more likely to be linked to pancreatic cancer compared to other diabetes drugs.**** Most recently, a report published June 10th in the British Medical Journal revealed previously unpublished data that indicated the manufacturers of incretin mimetics may have downplayed the drugs’ potential to harm the pancreas.*****
Patients who have developed pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer or pancreatitis allegedly due to Januvia may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and more. To learn more about filing a Januvia lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website. For more information, please call 800-511-5092.
*fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm183800.htmSeptember 25, 2009
***gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085%2811%2900172-7/abstract, Gastroenterology, February 21, 2011
***fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm343187.htm, FDA March 2013
****ismp.org/QuarterWatch/pdfs/2012Q3.pdf
*****bmj.com/open-data/incretin#alternate; BMJ, June 10, 20
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the “Plaintiffs’ Hot List,” recognizing the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country, for the past 10 consecutive years.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
10 East 40th Street
New York, New York 10016
800-511-5092
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2013 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.januvialawsuithelp.com/