Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that manufactures Invokana, are facing a products liability litigation over an alleged case of Invokana renal failure.

Invokana, whose generic name is canagliflozin, is used with a proper exercise program and diet to control high levels of blood sugar in people who have type-2 diabetes.

Controlling high blood sugar levels and therefore type-2 diabetes, helps prevent kidney damage, loss of limbs, nerve problems, and blindness.

However, according to plaintiff Gary D., an Ohio resident, the defendants concealed their knowledge of the drug’s adverse side effects and dangerous risks involved in its use from the medical community.

According to the contentions in Gary’s Invokana renal failure lawsuit, Gary D. was prescribed and had ingested Invokana. The lawsuit alleges that because of the defective nature of Invokana, plaintiff Gary D. “suffered and may continue to suffer severe and permanent personal injuries, including acute renal failure,” the Invokana renal failure states.

Due to the alleged personal injuries suffered as a result, Gary seeks punitive and compensatory damages and monetary restitution.

Invokana decreases blood sugar levels in the bloodstream by inhibiting renal glucose reabsorption. However, as contended in the Invokana renal failure lawsuit, because of this inhibition, the excess glucose is “excreted through the kidneys of a population of consumers already at risk for kidney disease.”

According to the Invokana lawsuit, the defendants knew of the risks involved and particularly of developing acute renal failure through its ingestion, but failed to sufficiently, effectively, and satisfactorily, warn consumers, the medical community, and plaintiff Gary D. of such risks.

Invokana is one of the defendant’s top selling drugs, with revenue exceeding $278 million in the first quarter of 2015. It was federally approved by the FDA in March 2013.

It is also a member of a class of drugs known as “SGLT2” inhibitors, or sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors.

According to the Invokana lawsuit, the plaintiff relied on the defendant’s representations that the drug was safe and effective for treatment of diabetes. The Invokana renal failure lawsuit contends that the defendants should have known of the risks involved in taking Invokana and should have warned patients and doctors of those risks.

Had the defendants properly disclosed the risks involved in taking Invokana, Gary D. would have never used the medication, the lawsuit maintains.

“As a direct and proximate result of defendants’ negligence, wrongful conduct, and the unreasonably dangerous and defective characteristics of Invokana, plaintiff … suffered severe and permanent physical and emotional injuries,” the Invokana renal failure lawsuit states.

Additionally, they contend that he, “has endured pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and economic loss, including significant expenses for medical care and treatment which will continue in the future. “

The Invokana Renal Failure Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-md-00002, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.