Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca are facing a new Onglyza lawsuit, which was recently filed by a grieving widow, alleging the type-2 diabetes medication had caused the death of her husband.

This Onglyza lawsuit alleges the companies failed to warn her and her husband about the potentially fatal complications associated with their type-2 diabetes medication, which would have influenced her husband’s decision in whether or not he would use it.

Plaintiff Phyllis M. filed this Onglyza lawsuit on behalf of her late husband Charles M., who had been prescribed the drug for typical type-2 diabetes treatment.

What is Onglyza?

Onglyza is a popular medication for type-2 diabetes, which works by signaling the pancreas to make more insulin. This prevents blood sugar levels from getting too high, and prevents other dangerous complications like diabetic ketoacidosis.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, its manufacturers, had allegedly presented Onglyza as a safe and effective treatment drug for type-2 diabetes. With these benefits in mind, Charles reportedly agreed to taking Onglyza and started his prescription in June 2012.

Charles had taken the medication for several years without complication, including through an adverse event caused by congestive heart failure in October 2015. According to the Onglyza lawsuit, Charles later died in 2016 from heart failure and left Phyllis to file legal action on his behalf.

Phyllis opted to file this Onglyza lawsuit after discovering the diabetes medication allegedly carried an increased risk of heart failure.

Overview of Onglyza Heart Failure

Onglyza, a part of the incretin mimetic drug family, was approved by the FDA in July 2009. When Onglyza was first approved, the medical community believed it held promise as a safe treatment method for type-2 diabetes patients.

This excitement turned to concern though when diabetic treatment medication Avandia was recalled after it was discovered to be associated with an increased risk of cardiac death. The concern surrounding Avandia caused the scientific community to scrutinize Onglyza, with studies reportedly finding similar results.

One of these inquiries was the SAVOR study, funded by Bristol Myers and AstraZeneca, which found that Ongylza and other saxagliptin medications were linked to an increased risk of heart failure. The SAVOR study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013; it consisted of 16,492 type-2 diabetes patients prescribed different medications.

Onglyza patients were found to have a slightly higher risk of hospitalization for heart failure, compared to those prescribed other medications. While the risk of heart failure was not considered significantly significant, it still prompted the FDA committee to urge a requirement for Bristol Myers and AstraZeneca to include potential heart failure on the Onglyza warning label.

Even though heart failure can be potentially fatal, Phyllis claims Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca allegedly failed to disclose this information to the public. According to the Onglyza lawsuit, Phyllis states that Charles would not have taken the medication if he had known it carried an increased risk of heart failure.

This Onglyza Lawsuit is Case: 2:18-cv-00407-ALM-KAJ, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division at Columbus.