A South Carolina woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Byetta drug makers Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company, alleging that the type-2 diabetes medication caused the pancreatic cancer which led to her husband’s death.

Pleasant, South Carolina, resident Anthony Christy began taking Byetta as part of his treatment program for his type-2 diabetes in March 2009 until December 2010, when he died. During that time, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which ultimately took his life.

Mr. Christy’s wife, Janice Christy, filed this Byetta lawsuit in November 2013, in which she alleged that the pharmaceutical companies withheld the dangers caused by Byetta from the public and continue to sell the type-2 diabetes medication when they ought to withdraw it from the market because of the risks associated with it.

Januvia, Byetta and Victoza are in a class of diabetes medications called dipeptidul petidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, also known as incretin memetics. They work by helping to control blood sugar for those suffering from type-2 diabetes by increasing the production of insulin and stop the pancreas from releasing too much glucagon–hormones that are key to metabolizing glucose as well as maintaining a steady glucose level in the blood.

In February 2010, it was published in the medical journal Diabetes Care that this new class of type-2 diabetes medications may cause pancreatic cancer.

There “is preliminary evidence to suggest the potential risks of asymptomtic chronic pancreatitis and, with time, pancreatic cancer” was linked to these DPP-4 inhibitors, the article said.

More information with similar warnings began to surface in the following years.

In 2011, another study found that for Januvia patients, pancreatitis, which is the inflammation of the pancreas, was reported more than six-fold, according to information researchers gathered from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And the development of pancreatitis puts a person at much greater risk for developing pancreatic cancer. The same study found that the pancreatic cancer rate was more than almost three-fold more common among Januvia patients compared to diabetes patients who used other therapies.

The FDA said in March that it is reviewing previously unpublished research that showed a link between precancerous cellular changes. The federal agency is expected to require that drugmakers Merck, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly update the warning labels on the type-2 diabetes medications to reflect the pancreatic cancer risk.

Christy’s charges against Amylin and Eli Lilly include failure to warn, design defect, negligence, breach of implied warranty, breach of express warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment and loss of consortium.

The Byetta lawsuit is Janie Christy, et al. v. Amylin Pharmaceuticals, LLC et al., Case No. 3:13-cv-02805-AJB-MDD, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.