Product liability attorneys are seeking potential plaintiffs to bring Onglyza lawsuits against the pharmaceutical manufacturers Bristol-Meyers Squibb and AstraZeneca. According to new studies, many medical researchers believe that using the diabetes drug Onglyza increases a patient’s risk of heart failure, pancreatic cancer, and thyroid cancer.

Onglyza, generically known as saxagliptin, is a popular treatment for type-2 diabetes. Onglyza belongs to a family of medications known as DPP-4 inhibitors. These medications work by increasing the amount of incretin released by the small intestine, which in turn regulates the amount of insulin released into the body.

Onglyza received FDA approval and entered the market in 2009, shortly after an older type-2 diabetes medication called Avandia was recalled. Avandia was recalled after experts linked the medication to potential heart risks and other dangerous side effects.

Onglyza Studies Show Reason for Concern

Due to past concerns about type-2 diabetes medications, the FDA closely monitors many of the new medications. Just last year the FDA asked AstraZeneca to provide additional data about Onglyza so the agency could further investigate the possible link between Onglyza and heart failure. Several other brands of DPP-4 inhibitor type-2 diabetes medications are also under investigation for an increased risk of heart failure.

A 2013 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients prescribed Onglyza had a 27 percent greater risk of hospitalization for heart failure than those patients given a placebo. A recent FDA report found the same hospitalization trends.

The pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca acknowledges that studies indicate an increased risk of hospitalization due to heart failure in a small group of patients who have a history of heart failure or renal impairments. The company strongly believes that these risks can be addressed by a change to the drug’s label. AstraZeneca has denied any connection to all-cause mortality, arguing that those cases are most likely due to chance.

These FDA studies are part of a larger investigation looking in to the cardiovascular safety of all forms of type-2 diabetes drugs, not just DPP-4 inhibitors. Another manufacturer, Merck, is also undertaking a major trial to study the the cardiovascular effects of DPP inhibitors. Some people believe the results of this study will either clear the name of DPP inhibitors as a class (although not necessarily individual medications) or show a major cause for concern.

Patients who took type-2 diabetes medications like Onglyza and suffered serious adverse side effects may have the opportunity to bring a lawsuit. Awards and settlements from these Onglyza lawsuits will help victims pay medical bills as well as compensate them for the pain and suffering they endured.