A man is suing over life-threatening Invokana diabetic ketoacidosis side effects that he said he started suffering within two weeks of starting the medication.

Plaintiff James B. is suing Invokana makers Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Co. and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp.

Designed to control blood sugar in type-2 diabetics, Invokana has come under fire for allegedly causing kidney damage and ketoacidosis.

The plaintiff began taking Invokana between Nov. 6 and Nov. 12, 2014. He says he started suffering Invokana diabetic ketoacidosis side effects on or about Nov. 16, 2014.

Invokana Is a Member of New Line of Drugs

Invokana was FDA-approved in 2013 to help maintain blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetics. It initiated a new class of medications called SGLT2 inhibitors that eliminate excess glucose by sending it through the kidneys and out the urine instead of allowing the glucose back into the bloodstream.

The FDA ordered all manufacturers of SGLT2 inhibitors to include warning labels about the risk of ketoacidosis in December 2015, just about one year after James reportedly started suffering suffering from Invokana diabetic ketoacidosis side effects.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, and Mitsubishi Tanabe allegedly knew of the risks of ketoacidosis but concealed evidence of that risk from both the medical community and the public.

What Are Invokana Diabetic Ketoacidosis Side Effects?

A person develops ketoacidosis when the body produces an abnormally high level of blood acids, which can lead to brain swelling and kidney failure.

When cells don’t receive the glucose they need for energy, the body begins to burn fat for energy, a process that produces ketones. When the ketones build up in the blood, the resulting poisoning is referred to as ketoacidosis, which can make a person severely ill, lead to a coma, or even death.

Nearly 14 percent of diabetic hospital stays are due to diabetic ketoacidosis, and the condition causes 16 percent of all diabetes-induced deaths.

Signs of ketoacidosis include dry mouth or excessive thirst, frequent urination, high blood sugar, constant fatigue, dry or flushed skin, abdominal pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing and a fruity breath odor.

Invokana Lawsuit Alleges Negligence

According to James’s Invokana lawsuit, “[t]he development of Plaintiff’s injuries was preventable and resulted directly from Defendants’ failure and refusal to conduct proper safety studies, failure to properly assess and publicize alarming safety signals, suppression of information revealing serious and life-threatening risks, willful and wanton failure to provide adequate instructions, [and] willful misrepresentations concerning the nature and safety of Invokana.”

The Invokana lawsuit also says that James’s injuries were “a reasonably foreseeable consequence of Defendants’ conduct and Invokana’s defects.”

James claims he would have never used Invokana if he had known the risks of Invokana diabetic ketoacidosis side effects.

The Invokana Ketoacidosis Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-08007 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Trenton Division.