Millions of people have been prescribed diabetes medications from an emerging class of drugs called “incretin mimetics.” These drugs mimic hormones that trick the pancreas into producing more insulin for a diabetic.

However, a large amount of evidence has been gathered to show that there are significant side effects to using these types of diabetes drugs. Kombiglyze XR side effects are part of this group.

Kombiglyze XR combines two drugs, saxagliptin (the active ingredient in Onglyza) and metformin. Kombiglyze XR is marketed by AstraZeneca, and was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010. However, a recent study shows that there is a significant increase in potential heart failure for those diabetes patients that took Kombiglyze, prompting the FDA to launch an investigation to follow up on the study findings.

Potential Kombiglyze Side Effects

Kombiglyze belongs to a relatively new class of type 2 diabetes treatment medications that have been increasingly linked to reports of the following serious side effects:

• Acute pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation)
• Chronic pancreatitis
• Hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis
• Pancreatic cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Hypersensitivity reactions (anaphylaxis, angioedema, exfoliative skin conditions
• Hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood-sugar levels)

Additionally, Kombiglyze side effects also include the risk of heart failure as evidenced by multiple studies on new diabetes medications.

Kombiglyze Heart Failure Studies

A study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in October 2013 first revealed that the use of Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR (saxagliptin) to treat type 2 diabetes is associated with significant cardiovascular risk.

In the study, 16,492 type 2 diabetes patients at risk of or with a history of cardiovascular events were studied for a two-year period. Half of these patients were administered Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR, and the other half were administered a placebo.

Patients administered Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR in the trial had a 27% increased rate of hospitalization from heart failure and a higher risk of all-cause death than placebo patients.

Additionally, a company-sponsored trial of more than 16,000 patients known as SAVOR previously showed patients taking saxagliptin had an increased risk of hospitalization due to heart failure.

Filing a Kombiglyze Lawsuit

In October 2015, a woman in Chicago filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against AstraZeneca, the maker of Onglyza and Kombiglyze, alleging that her mother, Lillie Ree G., died of heart failure in 2013 as a result of taking the diabetes medication.

If you or a loved one has suffered hospitalization for heart failure or a loved one has suffered other Kombiglyze side effects after taking the diabetes medication, an experienced dangerous drug attorney can evaluate your case for free and advise you if filing a Kombiglyze lawsuit is right for you.

A Kombiglyze lawsuit could help you recover money for medical bills, pain and suffering, and funeral expenses (in the event of death) from the drug’s manufacturer.