A Wisconsin man filed a Januvia pancreatic cancer lawsuit against Merck & Co. alleging the type-2 diabetes drug Januvia caused his cancer.

Plaintiff Joseph Guiffre is one of millions of Americans who suffer from type-2 diabetes, and had to take a variety of medications to help regular his symptoms, according to his Januvia pancreatic cancer lawsuit. Guiffre was prescribed Januvia by his physician on Aug. 11, 2008 to manage his insulin levels. He stayed on Januvia until June 10, 2013, after he learned that his cancer might have been caused by Januvia.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two months before stopping Januvia. It was soon after this that he learned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspected a correlation between Januvia and other related drugs to specific kinds of cancer, included pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers a patient can be diagnosed with.

Guiffre was not informed about the possibility of pancreatic cancer, his Januvia cancer lawsuit says. He argued that if he had known about the possibility of pancreatic cancer, then he never would have taken Januvia.

Guiffre’s Januvia lawsuit will be joining the multidistrict litigation (MDL) against the diabetes drugs. The lawsuit contents that Merck had the responsibility of warning its customers about all possible side effects of the medication.

Guiffre and his wife accused Merck & Co. of negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

The Januvia Pancreatic Cancer Lawsuit is In Re: Incretin-Based Therapy Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2452, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Overview of Januvia Complications

Januvia is one of Merck’s best-selling drugs, with sales reaching $919 million in the first quarter of 2012 alone. It was approved as a type-2 diabetes treatment medication by the FDA on Oct. 17, 2006, designed to help regulate a patient’s insulin levels. Januvia works by regulating the patient’s blood-sugar and glucose levels, and encourages the patients’ metabolic system to produce more insulin. Ideally, when this drug is combined with healthy diet and exercise routine, Januvia would allow for a longer and healthier lifestyle.

Despite the marketing success Merck has gained from Januvia, recent studies have linked the drug and related drugs Janumet, Byetta, and Victoza, to the development of pancreatic cancer.