An Ohio resident has filed an Invokana lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson for failing to adequately warn patients about the dangerous risks associated with taking the medicine, specifically the possibility of developing diabetic ketoacidosis.

Plaintiff Molly D. claims in her Invokana lawsuit that she developed diabetic ketoacidosis from taking the drug in December 2014 to improve her glycemic control as an adjunct to diet and exercise.

While taking Invokana, the complaint states, Molly developed diabetic ketoacidosis, bilateral pulmonary emboli, and suffered a myocardial infarction on March 14, 2015, as a result of treatment with Invokana.  She was hospitalized for six days.

Molly further claims she had relied on advertised claims that Invokana is a safe and effective treatment for type 2 diabetes, when, according to the Invokana lawsuit, the defendants knew or should have known the risks associated with the use of the diabetes medicine, including the risk of developing diabetic ketoacidosis.

About Invokana

Invokana (canagliflozin) is a medication used to treat type-2 diabetes in individuals who have high blood glucose levels. Invokana is a newer diabetes drug that belongs to a class of medications known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2, or SGLT2, inhibitors.

Two years after its approval, a safety communication was issued by the FDA alerting physicians, patients and the public that the medication was linked to a number of adverse reports naming diabetic ketoacidosis as a possible side effect.

Following a number of Adverse Event Reports, the Food and Drug Safety Administration (FDA) steps in to investigate pharmaceutical drugs to further question their safety.

With respect to Invokana, the FDA took a closer look at a condition with numerous reports to the Adverse Events Reports system called diabetic ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis is a condition where the body becomes acidic from producing too many ketones. The body must be kept at a certain ph for health, and diabetic ketoacidosis causes the body to be to acidic, so patients must be hospitalized until their blood returns to a normal ph.

A safety communication issued by the FDA in May 2015 advised physicians to carefully monitor their patients taking Invokana and to report any adverse events to the FDA reporting system.

Other drugs in this SGLT2 inhibitor class include Glyxambi, Jardiance, Invokamet, Farxiga and Xigduo XR. Any of these drugs may potentially cause diabetic ketoacidosis based on their similar classification to Invokana.

What is Diabetic Ketoacidosis?

When the body does not have enough glucose (sugar) to burn for energy, it turns to burning fat for energy instead. This causes a byproduct known as ketones. If there are too many ketones, which are acidic in nature, the blood becomes acidified and can essentially poison an individual.

Diabetic ketoacidosis can lead to further health problems of a serious nature, including diabetic coma. Additional complications of diabetic ketoacidosis include blood clots, heart attack, kidney failure, and in some situations, death.

Invokana Lawsuits

Specialized dangerous drug attorneys are currently investigating the possibility of filing Invokana diabetic ketoacidosis lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, claiming that the drug maker knew or should have known of the high risk of diabetic ketoacidosis associated with their diabetes treatment but failed to provide adequate warning in an effort to protect their own profits.

If you or a loved one suffered serious Invokana side effects such as diabetic ketoacidosis or side effects from another SGLT2 inhibitor drug, you may be owed substantial compensation for medical expenses and other damages.

The Invokana Diabetic Ketoacidosis Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-00090, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.