Numerous patients have allegedly suffered heart failure from Onglyza, a popular type-2 diabetes medication prescribed to numerous patients on a daily basis. The FDA warned against heart failure from Onglyza after a recent study showed Onglyza patients faced a risk “of hospitalization due to heart failure.”

In addition to being prescribed to type-2 diabetes patients, Onglyza can also be useful for type-1 patients in conjunction with other drugs. Onglyza works by helping patients maintain a healthy level of blood sugar by encouraging increased production of insulin after meals.

Insulin is needed for the body to metabolize sugar and retrieve vital nutritional components from food. Without adequate insulin levels, patients may develop diabetic ketoacidosis, which occurs due to the body metabolizing fat instead of sugar due to lack of insulin. This causes the body’s blood to become very acidic, and it may cause kidney failure if not promptly treated.

According to the recent SAVOR study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2013, researchers discovered that patients faced a higher risk of heart failure from Onglyza compared to other diabetes medications.

Researchers had reportedly analyzed 16,492 type-2 diabetes patients who were prescribed Onglyza and other type-2 diabetes drugs, and noticed a higher heart failure rate with Onglyza.

Heart failure is a serious cardiac condition which occurs when there is insufficent blood supply pumped through the circulation system due to weakened heart muscles.

There could be a number of contributing causes to heart failure, but scientists are not sure why Onglyza may be inducing this complication.

Overview of Onglyza Heart Failure Correlation

Onglyza (saxagliptin) was approved by the FDA in July 2009 to be a treatment option for patients having trouble managing insulin levels due to type-2 diabetes. This condition currently affects over 27 million patients having trouble with insulin and glucose levels.

This drug is designed to be used in conjunction with diet and exercise, which is supposed to allow patients to live a relatively uninterrupted life. Onglyza is a part of the medication group known as incretin mimetics, which is a relatively new medication class to enter the type-2 diabetes treatment market.

These drugs work by stimulating insulin production by way of signaling the pancreas to prevent high blood sugar levels and low insulin production often associated with type-2 diabetes. Incretin mimetics became the center of negative attention after another popular drug, Avandia, was recalled due to its link to an increased risk of cardiac death.

Even though Onglyza heart failure was not statistically significant in injury reports, the correlation is being investigated by the medical community. In April 2015, an FDA advisory committee required AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb to include the potential heart failure from Onglyza warning on the drug’s warning label.

Patients who allegedly suffered heart failure from Onglyza may be able to file legal action for compensation. Potential claimants should contact a lawyer to determine eligibility for a claim.