A Texas man recently filed a lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alleging the company’s popular diabetes drug caused him serious injuries, eventually leading to below-knee amputation.

The plaintiff, Arthur T., says he began taking Invokana at the direction of his doctor. However, he alleges, his exposure to Invokana caused severe complications, including a serious kidney injury, as well as below-knee amputation to both of his legs.

Arthur claims that Janssen was aware of the serious risks associated with Invokana, but that neither he nor his doctor was adequately warned of these risks, which prevented him from opting for a safer alternative.

Arthur filed his Invokana below-knee amputation lawsuit on July 23, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including design defect, failure to warn, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, and several others.

Basics of Invokana

Invokana (also known by its generic name, canagliflozin metformin) is a widely used type-2 diabetes medication. Invokana 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. This class of drugs also includes the drugs Invokamet and Invokamet XR.

Invokana’s manufacturer, Janssen, is a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Invokana was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in March 2013. Since its approval, Invokana has become one of the more popular options available for diabetes medication.

Unfortunately, Invokana has been linked with a number of severe complications, some of which have prompted warnings from the FDA. The risk of Invokana leg amputation was only added to the drug’s warning label in July 2017—four years after the drug’s entrance to the market. In that time, patients may have been affected by complications without proper warning of the risks they faced.

Invokana Diabetes Drug Complications

Invokana users have reported a number of serious Invokana drug side effects, including Invokana-induced leg amputation. Symptoms like pain, ulcers, or infections in the legs or feet may lead to limb amputation, like the below-knee amputation cited in Arthur’s lawsuit.

The FDA released a safety announcement in May 2017 updating its information about the link between Invokana below-knee amputation risk. The safety warning read, 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.”

Lawsuits allege that the manufacturer either knew or should have known about the risk of below-knee amputation and other amputation associated with Invokana, 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 below-knee 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 Below-Knee Amputation Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-11996-BRM-LHG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.