A Mississippi man has filed an Invokana amputation lawsuit after learning other patients experienced diabetic leg amputation and other serious drug side effects.

Plaintiff Jim D. opted to file this Invokana amputation lawsuit after allegedly discovering Johnson & Johnson either knew or should have known about the drug’s allegedly defective nature in preventing diabetic leg amputation. According to the Invokana amputation lawsuit, Jim had been prescribed Invokana to help manage his blood sugar levels for his type-2 diabetes.

This is a typical treatment use for Invokana, which works by preventing the body from absorbing too much glucose and then signaling the kidneys to expel the excess sugar through urination. Along with diet and exercise, Invokana should have been an effective treatment method in control blood sugar levels and allowed Jim to live a normal life.

However, Jim says he experienced a number of serious side effects instead, including the development of diabetic ketoacidosis and need for a diabetic leg amputation. According to the Invokana amputation lawsuit, Jim had to have his right foot and right lower leg amputated and also has to contend with the chronic effects of diabetic ketoacidosis, acute kidney failure, as well as sepsis.

Overview of Invokana Amputation Concern

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a medical condition that occurs when the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin levels, which causes the buildup of ketones or blood acids. This is because the body becomes unable to metabolize sugar and turns to fat, causing the blood to become acidic.

Not long after, the kidneys start to feel the effects of the acidity and sustain severe damage or may fail completely. While diabetic ketoacidosis is a concern typically found in type-1 diabetes patients, in which insulin cannot be produced, this complication has become widely associated with Invokana and other SGLT2 inhibitors.

The FDA released an official warning against this on May 15, 2015, stating the agency’s Adverse Event Reporting System had received 20 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis in conjunction with SGLT2 inhibitor prescriptions between March 2013 and June 6, 2014.

More recently, the FDA warned the patient population and medical community that SGLT2 inhibitors may fail to prevent diabetic leg amputation. Diabetic leg amputation is needed when nerves in the lower legs deteriorate, which often leads to swelling and foot ulcers.

Nerve damage is a common side effect in type-2 diabetes patients, who often have to look out for any signs of swelling their feet. While Invokana is supposed to help prevent diabetic leg amputation, the FDA has recently warned that Invokana (canagliflozin) may have an increased risk of this complication.

The warning was released on May 16, 2017, which stated the FDA is requiring diabetic leg amputation to be added to the list of potential side effects of Invokana.

At this time, it is unknown if its because the medication was defective or if Invokana drug therapy simply did not work with the patients. Either way, Jim claims, Johnson & Johnson had the responsibility to warn the general public against all potential Invokana complications.

Jim’s Invokana amputation lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2750, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging diabetic leg amputation.

This Invokana Amputation Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-02931-BRM-LHG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.