Bristol- Myers Squibb and other named defendants face a woman’s Onglyza heart failure lawsuit filed on a loved one’s behalf for the suffering of heart failure and cardiovascular injury, among other complications.

Plaintiff Sharon M. files the Onglyza heart failure lawsuit in Pennsylvania federal court as a personal representative and on behalf of Viola C. The lawsuit was filed on Feb. 2, 2018.

According to the Onglyza heart failure lawsuit, Viola, a Pennsylvania resident, was prescribed Onglyza (saxagliptin) for type 2 diabetes treatment at various times from approximately February 2015 until December 2015.

However, Sharon says that as a direct result from having taken Onglyza, Viola developed serious injuries including congestive heart failure and cardiovascular injury. Sharon says these conditions led to serious bodily and mental injuries, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of earnings.

The Onglyza heart failure lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including design defect, negligence, and failure to warn. Sharon demands a trial by jury.

Overview: Onglyza Heart Failure

The prescription drug Onglyza has been blamed for serious injuries and complications including heart failure, congestive heart failure, cardiac failure, and even death. Potentially fatal and serious heart side effects, including the increased risk for hospitalization, have been linked to the diabetes medication.

Onglyza is prescribed for the treatment of type-2 diabetes, a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes glucose. Onglyza can also be prescribed for the control of hyperglycemia, also known as high blood sugar. The medication is to be used along with proper diet and exercise.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2009, Onglyza belongs to a relatively new class of drugs known as incretin mimetics. The class of drugs are also known as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists or GLP-1 analogues.

This class of drugs works by copying the functions of the body’s natural incretin hormones that function to lower blood sugar levels after a meal. Some of the functions include stimulating the release of insulin, inhibiting the release of glucagon, and slowing glucose absorption into the bloodstream.

However, according to a recent Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca study, Onglyza leads patients to suffer cardiovascular injury such as heart failure that causes an increased rate for hospitalization. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is too weak to supply the rest of the body with the blood flow it needs.

In a published study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the SAVOR study discovered that patients who were treated with Onglyza developed an increased risk for heart failure than patients treated with other types of diabetic medications. The study evaluated 16,492 patients with type-2 diabetes and found those who took saxagliptin to be more likely to be hospitalized because of heart failure than other patients. The FDA required the manufacturers to add a notice of these heart failure findings in April 2015.

The Onglyza Heart Failure Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-00021-KRG, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.