An Onglyza FDA warning has been released notifying the medical community and the public that the diabetes drug could increase a patient’s risk of cardiac problems. 

Some patients who had heart problems and took the drugs may not realize that their heart problems may be linked to their use of the drug. 

About Onglyza

Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR are prescription drugs used to treat type-2 diabetes. These drugs contain saxagliptin, which is used to help control high blood sugar in people with type-2 diabetes. Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR belong to a type of drug called incretin memetics, which treat type-2 diabetes by helping to stimulate insulin production in the pancreas, which in turn lowers blood sugar.

These drugs are fairly new — they were approved by the FDA just over a decade ago. These drugs seemed like exciting new options for people with diabetes, as an earlier drug was recalled for increasing a patient’s risk of cardiac death.

However, Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR may cause similar issues. Patient reports and research have reportedly shown that taking Onglyza or Kombiglyze XR have been linked to an increase in risk for issues like heart failure, congestive heart failure, and death from these issues.

In fact, in 2016, the FDA added heart failure to Kombiglyze XR and Onglyza FDA warning labels.

Onglyza Lawsuits

It is possible that the makers of Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR knew of the drug’s risks long before the Onglyza FDA warning, but intentionally hid the risks from patients. If this is found to be the case, Astra Zeneca and Bristol-Meyers Squibb could be held liable for patient injuries.

The FDA has noted that patients with type-2 diabetes already have a higher risk of heart failure than other people, and stressed that any new diabetes medications that were being released into the market should not further increase a diabetes patient’s risk of heart failure.

However, Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR were released after the FDA warned drug companies to not make diabetes drugs that could impact diabetes patients’ cardiac health.

As a result, some patients are claiming that the drug companies did not sufficiently research the impact of Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR on patient health before releasing them into the market. They note that some independent studies of the drugs showed that saxagliptin increased patients’ risk of heart problems.

Then, in 2015, an FDA advisory committee urged the FDA to require AstraZeneca and Bristol-Meyers Squibb to inform patients of the link between Onglyza and heart failure via the drug’s label. Patients say that after the Onglyza FDA warning, the companies should have known about the possible risk to patients, but did not include a warning about the drug’s risk of heart problems on the drug’s label until 2016.

If you or a loved one suffered from heart problems including congestive heart failure, cardiac failure, or death after taking Onglyza, you may have a legal claim and could be entitled to compensation. An experienced lawyer can help you determine if you could have a valid claim in an Onglyza FDA warning lawsuit.