There have been several serious complications and adverse side effects being linked to a prescription medication, saxagliptin, found in diabetes prescription medications such as Onglyza and Kombiglyze. These have led several plaintiffs to file an Onglyza lawsuit.

In recent years, patients along with the medical community have been increasingly concerned with these diabetic medications due to alleged side effects and complications being linked to them. According to a recent study, patients who have been prescribed and take type-2 diabetes medications such as Onglyza have an increased risk for hospitalization due to heart failure.

Onglyza and Heart Failure

Onglyza was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009. It was approved as a type-2 diabetes medication to help control patient blood sugar levels.

Onglyza consists of an active ingredient, saxagliptin, described as a DPP-4 inhibitor. DPP-4 is a known enzyme that breaks down the hormone, GLP-1, released into the blood after the ingestion of food. The hormone GLP-1 signals insulin to be released from the pancreas.

Onglyza’s purpose and function is to inhibit DPP-4 from breaking down GLP-1, thus allowing it to stay in the body for longer periods of time. This allows the pancreas to create and release insulin after the body’s ingestion of food.

However, there have been several serious adverse side effects being linked to Onglyza that in many cases have led patients to file an Onglyza lawsuit. These complications have included heart failure, inflammation of the pancreas, low blood sugar, joint pain, allergic reaction, skin reaction, and allergic retention.

Other adverse side effects have also included vomiting, cough, headache, sore throat, runny nose, urinary tract infections, diarrhea, upper respiratory tract infection, stomach pain, and low blood sugar.

In a safety announcement made by the FDA in 2014, the agency addressed evidence of a risk of hospitalization for heart failure associated with Onglyza. The FDA stated that “a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety review has found that type 2 diabetes medicines containing saxagliptin and alogliptin may increase the risk of heart failure, particularly in patients who already have heart or kidney disease.”

In a published study in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013, researchers evaluated 16,492 patients in what was called the SAVOR study. They evaluated patients who were diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. What they discovered was that patient who had taken Onglyza were slightly more likely to be admitted into a hospital for heart failure than patients who have been prescribed alternate type-2 diabetes medications.

In fact, 1,222 patients of 16,492 patients had reported adverse cardiovascular effects or events, the study reports.

An FDA advisory committee urged the agency in April 2015 to require the drug’s manufacturers to include a warning label and information regarding the drug’s link to causing heart failure.

If you or a loved one have suffered from side effects such as congestive heart failure, cardiac failure, or heart failure from taking several type-2 diabetes medications, such as as Onglyza, you may be eligible to file an Onglyza lawsuit.