Januvia Lawsuit Claims Alleging Pancreatitis, Pancreatic Cancer Move Forward in Federal Litigation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, NY (PRWEB) October 30, 2013 -- A federal Januvia lawsuit litigation (http://www.januvialawsuithelp.com/) continued to progress in October with an initial status conference to discuss matters related to claims over the Type 2 diabetes drug, as well as other similarly-designed medications, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports.
According to court documents, a federal proceeding for lawsuits filed over Januvia and other drugs part of a class of type 2 diabetes drugs referred to as incretin mimetics, held its first status conference in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California on October 17th. Court documents indicate that a mounting number of claims involving Januvia, Byetta and Victoza, among others, were filed in the litigation at the time of the conference. (In Re: Incretins Products Liability, Sales and Marketing Litigation, MDL 2452)
“Our Firm’s lawyers continuously hear from patients who allegedly developed pancreatic cancer after taking Januvia,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing individuals harmed by defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is offering free and confidential case reviews on behalf of individuals who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis or thyroid cancer following use of the diabetes medication.
Januvia Lawsuits
Recent court documents show at least 60 claims, many of which are Januvia lawsuits, pending in the Southern District of California as of October 2013. These cases allege that manufacturers of incretin mimetics like Januvia failed to warn the general public about their association with pancreatic cancer and other side effects. Incretin mimetics work by mimicking the actions of incretin, a hormone that stimulates the pancreas to increase the production of insulin in patients with diabetes.
Concerns about the association between Januvia and pancreatic cancer began in 2009, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered the drug’s manufacturer to include a warning about its connection to pancreatitis.* This was after the federal agency received 88 reports of the illness in patients who took Januvia.
Two years later, a Gastroenterology study in 2011 further lent evidence to the possibility that Januvia may cause side effects when researchers found cases of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer in patients who used Januvia.**The report also showed two instances of thyroid cancer in Januvia patients.
The FDA announced a new review of incretin mimetics in March 2013 after the findings of a small study indicated the potential for Januvia and other drugs to cause cellular changes in the pancreas.
In April, the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices (ISMP) published an analysis of the FDA adverse event database that revealed 177 cases of pancreatitis in patients who took Januvia, 18 instances of pancreatic cancer, and one thyroid cancer report in individuals who took the drug.***As a class, the ISMP found that incretin mimetic users were 25 times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who took other diabetes medications.
Previously undisclosed data from the British Medical Journal revealed in June that manufacturers of incretin mimetics may have downplayed the risk for pancreatic side effects that may stem from use of their products.****
Patients who took Januvia and later developed pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis or thyroid cancer may be eligible to file Januvia lawsuits seeking compensation for damages incurred by their injuries. Learn more about the connection between Januvia and pancreatic cancer by visiting Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website, or by speaking with a lawyer directly at 800-511-5092.
*fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/ucm183764.htm, FDA, September 2009
**gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085%2811%2900172-7/abstract; Gastroenterology, February 21, 2011
***ismp.org/QuarterWatch/pdfs/2012Q3.pdf, ISMP, April 2013
****bmj.com/open-data/incretin#alternate; BMJ, June 2013
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 11 consecutive years.
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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.
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Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.januvialawsuithelp.com/
Felecia L. Stern, Januvia Pancreatic Cancer Lawsuit Center, http://www.januvialawsuithelp.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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