An FDA flesh-eating bacteria warning says that some common diabetes drugs can cause a dangerous infection.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, a dozen patients developed the rare but dangerous condition called Fornier’s gangrene after taking drugs used to treat type-2 diabetes. Reportedly, the patients who developed the condition began taking the medications between March 2013 and May 2018 as shared in the FDA flesh-eating bacteria warning. 

Reportedly, the diabetes medications that have been linked to the condition include:

• Invokana
• Invokamet/Invokamet XR
• Farxiga
• Xigduo XR
• Qtern
• Jardiance
• Glyxambi
• Synjardy/Synjardy XR
• Steglatro
• Segluromet
• Steglujan

About SGLT2 Inhibitors

The drugs that are affected by the FDA flesh-eating bacteria warning are all in the same class of medications. They are all sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors that help manage type-2 diabetes by helping to lower a patient’s blood sugar. The drugs help lower blood sugar via the kidneys, allowing excess blood sugar to be excreted in urine. These drugs are known to have urinary tract infections as a side effect.

Only one SGLT2 drug was not found to be linked to Fournier’s gangrene — Steglujan, made by Merck & Company.

FDA Flesh-Eating Bacteria Warning

The FDA publicly released a warning about the connection between SGLT2 drugs and Fournier’s gangrene in August 2018.

The FDA received 12 reports of patients developing the condition, and in every case, the patient had to be hospitalized. Reportedly, seven of the patients were men and five were women. Some of the patients required surgeries, in some cases even multiple surgeries to try to combat the effects of the condition. One patient died as a result of Fournier’s gangrene connected to diabetes drug side effects.

In contrast, the FDA has discovered only six cases of Fournier’s gangrene in the last thirty years in patients who take other diabetes drugs. All of those cases occurred in men.

Because of the FDA flesh-eating bacteria warning, the drug makers of the affected drugs will be required to add information about Fournier’s gangrene and their drug’s link to it in prescribing information for the drug, and in information about the drugs that will be passed out to patients.

In response to the FDA flesh-eating bacteria warning, AstraZeneca, maker of Farxiga, said that they had not observed any cases of Fournier’s gangrene when they were testing Farxiga during its development.

Fornier’s Gangrene Side Effects

Though the condition is rare, it can be deadly, and the connection between the diabetes drugs and Fournier’s gangrene should be taken seriously.

The FDA has noted that side effects of Fournier’s gangrene can involve tenderness, redness, or swelling of the genitals. Additionally, patients with the condition can develop a slight fever. The FDA flesh-eating bacteria warning says that the symptoms can quickly get more severe. Initially, some patients may not realize that the symptoms they are experiencing may be linked to Fournier’s gangrene.

Patients taking SGLT-2 drugs should immediately seek medical attention if they develop any fever, even a slight one, or if they develop other Fournier’s gangrene side effects.

Join a Free Diabetes Medications & Flesh-Eating Infection Lawsuit Investigation

The type-2 diabetes medications linked to the flesh-eating infection include:

• Invokana
• Invokamet/Invokamet XR
• Farxiga
• Xigduo XR
• Qtern
• Jardiance
• Glyxambi
• Synjardy/Synjardy XR
• Steglato
• Segluromet
• Steglujan

If you or a loved one took one of the type-2 diabetes medications listed above and suffered from a flesh-eating genital infection, you may qualify to join this diabetes medication lawsuit investigation. Fill out the FREE form on this page for more information.

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