Invokamet lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey will be selected for bellwether trial cases, per a Case Management Order filed May 1^st.

A bellwether trial is a test case selected by the court and the opposing parties that allow them to gauge their arguments. In multidistrict litigation (MDL), many court cases are consolidated for both discovery and pretrial issues. Because it is not feasible to get every case ready for trial, selected bellwether cases are either settled or go to trial, and those outcomes are used to define the process for seeing the rest of the cases through.

The Invokana and Invokamet lawsuits now number approximately 230 that are in the midst of pretrial proceedings in the District of New Jersey. The plaintiffs share the drugs’ severe side effects, such as diabetic ketoacidosis, that give them commonality.

Invokamet Lawsuits Receive Bellwether Instructions

The Case Management Order indicates the parties should submit a proposed Case Management Order that details the guidelines for choosing bellwether plaintiffs by June 1^st.

The parties then need to agree in writing on the number of bellwether candidates for each side who will be members of the bellwether discovery pool. That decision should be submitted by Aug. 31^st.

From Sept. 1 to Dec. 15, the bellwether discovery will occur. No more than four Invokana and Invokamet lawsuits will be allowed per side for each case.

The parties will recommend the cases for the bellwether trials by Jan. 5, 2018, and by Jan. 19, the Court will choose three bellwether cases to go to trial.

Invokamet Lawsuits Stem from Adverse Side Effects

Johnson & Johnson’s Invokana is prescribed to maintain lower blood sugar levels in adults with type-2 diabetes. It is in a class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors, which work by making the kidneys remove sugar from the body through the urine rather than have it be reabsorbed into the blood.

Invokamet includes an added ingredient called metformin, which reduces the amount of sugar produced by the liver.

Side effects can include kidney injury. The FDA confirmed 101 cases of Invokana or Invokamet kidney injury between March 2013 and October 2015.

Invokamet lawsuits also allege a link between the drug and diabetic ketoacidosis.

Between March 2013 to June 2014, the FDA reported 20 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis in patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors such as Invokamet. The FDA reports the median time between the start of taking the drug and the onset of ketoacidosis symptoms was two weeks.

Ketoacidosis occurs when the body’s cells don’t receive the glucose they need for energy, and the body begins to burn fat for energy, a process that produces ketones. These ketones break down the fat to turn it into energy. When the ketones build up in the blood, the resulting ketoacidosis can make a person very ill. Most cases of ketoacidosis require hospitalization.

In diabetic ketoacidosis, insulin levels are typically so low that the body cannot regulate blood sugar, and the fatty acid flow is inadequate.

If you or someone you love has been injured after taking an SGLT2 inhibitor, you could qualify to receive compensation through an Invokamet lawsuit.