A Florida woman recently filed a lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alleging she suffered from serious Invokana drug side effects, resulting in leg amputation.

The plaintiff, Marguerite E., says she began taking Invokana at the direction of her doctor in March 2014 in order to treat her diabetes by reducing her blood sugar.

However, Marguerite claims that she was not adequately warned of the risk of serious Invokana drug side effects. She says she began to suffer from severe complications, eventually necessitating above-knee leg amputation for both legs on March 2, 2018.

Marguerite alleges that the leg amputation injuries were the direct result of Invokana drug side effects, but that she had not been adequately warned of this risk, which would have allowed her to choose a safer alternative.

Marguerite filed her lawsuit alleging Invokana drug side effects on June 1, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including strict liability, manufacturing defect, design defect, failure to warn, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, fraud, and several others.

Basics of Invokana

Invokana (also known by its generic name, canagliflozin) is a popular type-2 diabetes medication, which works by ridding the bloodstream of glucose and lowering glucose production, ultimately lowering blood sugar levels.

Invokana is part of a class of type-2 diabetes drugs known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Other drugs belonging to the class include Invokamet and Invokamet XR, which combine canagliflozin with the older diabetes medication metformin.

Invokana is manufactured by Janssen, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Invokana is a relatively new drug, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2013. Since its approval, Invokana has become one of the more popular diabetes drugs available.

Despite its widespread use, Invokana has been connected with a few severe side effects, some of which have prompted warnings from the FDA. Reports of Invokana leg amputation weren’t mentioned on the drug’s warning label until July 2017.

Invokana Drug Side Effects

Invokana users have reported a number of serious Invokana drug side effects, including Invokana leg amputation. Symptoms like pain, ulcers, or infections in the legs or feet may lead to lower limb amputation.

The FDA released a safety announcement in May 2017 updating its information about the link between Invokana leg amputation risk. The safety warning reads in part: “Based on new data from two large clinical trials, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that the type 2 diabetes medicine canagliflozin (Invokana, Invokamet, Invokamet XR) causes an increased risk of leg and foot amputations.”

Filing an Invokana Leg Amputation Lawsuit

Lawsuits allege that the manufacturer either knew or should have known about these serious Invokana drug side effects, but failed to give adequate warning to the public and the medical community about the risk.

If you or someone you love has suffered from Invokana drug side effects, including leg amputation, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Though filing a lawsuit cannot take away a patient’s pain and suffering, it may help to alleviate the financial burden incurred through medical bills and lost wages.

The Invokana Drug Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-10030-BRM-LHG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.