Amanda Antell  |  June 30, 2015

Category: Legal News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

onglyzaThe type-2 diabetes medication, Onglyza, has been shown to have potentially devastating consequences, including heart failure, thyroid cancer or pancreatic cancer.

Patients allege that the Onglyza warning label failed to mention any such possibilities, which they claim was a deliberate act by drug maker AstraZeneca to protect the drug’s market value.

Onglyza (saxagliptin) was approved to treat type-2 diabetes in 2009, and was designed to help patients maintain healthy blood-sugar levels. Onglyza belongs to a group of medications called incretin mimetics, which work by stimulating insulin production in the pancreas.

Incretin is a naturally-occurring hormone that controls the level of insulin released to lower blood-sugar, so when inctretin mimetics are used in type-2 diabetes, it helps the pancreas to function normally.

Incretin mimetics also prevents the pancreas from releasing too much glucagon, which is a hormone that causes the liver to release stored-up sugar into the bloodstream.

Additionally, these drugs help slow the rate the stomach empties itself after eating food. This would ideally allow the body to maintain healthy blood-sugar levels, without causing gain weight. This would ultimately allow the patient to live a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Due to the fact that type-2 diabetes is such a common disease, doctors are constantly looking for safe and effective methods to treat the symptoms. The incretin mimetics were thought to do this by leveling the body’s insulin levels without being too invasive.

However after the incretin mimetic, Avandia, was recalled for inducing deadly side effects in patients, the medical community has grown skeptical of diabetes medications.

Onglyza is now under the scrutiny for similar side effects, as a number of patients report suffering life-changing health problems after using Onglyza.

Overview of the Onglyza Complications

There have been several investigations launched by different institutes and the FDA, to observe the possible correlation between these side effects and Onglyza, as well as other incretin mimetics.

For example, a study funded by Onglyza manufacturers Bristol-Myers and AstraZeneca was published in a 2013 issue of the British Medical Journal, which observed the side effects that came with incretin mimetics. While Onglyza was found to have a stronger connection to heart failure, than with either thyroid or pancreatic cancer, researchers ultimately agreed that the risks of Onglzya and the other incretin mimetics were vastly understated.

However in February 2013, Johns Hopkins researchers found that Onglyza and other incretin mimetics did significantly increase the risk of pacreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

However, the risk for Onglyza is a slightly higher priority to the FDA compared to its cousins, because it has been indicated to be a possible inducer for thyroid cancer, as early as 2009.

Over the years, researchers have collected different results from incretin mimetic studies, experts agree that further research is needed before any conclusions are drawn. Experts also agree that stronger warnings need to be attached to Onglyza and other incretin mimetics, so patients are adequately informed. Other drugs in the incretin mimetic family include:

  • Byetta and Byuderon (Exenatides)
  • Victoza (Liraglutide)
  • Januvia, Janumet, Janumet XR, and Juvisync (Sitagliptin)
  • Kombiglyze XR (Saxagliptin)
  • Nesina, Kazano and Oseni (Alogliptin)
  • Tradjenta and Jentadueto (Linagliptin)

These health problems have already resulted in hundreds of incretin mimetics lawsuits filed throughout the country, which are currently consolidated in a California federal court.

In general, Onglyza lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual Onglyza lawsuit or Ongylyza class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

Learn More

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Get Help – It’s Free

Join a Free Onglyza Lawsuit Investigation

If you or a loved one were injured from Onglyza side effects such as heart failure, thyroid cancer or pancreatic cancer, you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify to pursue compensation and join a free Onglyza lawsuit investigation by submitting your information for a free case evaluation.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.