An Alabama resident recently filed an Invokana amputation lawsuit in Superior Court of the State of New Jersey Law Division, Middlesex County on Jan. 2, 2018.

The plaintiff, 60-year-old Robert S., sued after he underwent diabetes amputation of his left foot and then diabetes amputation of the entire lower left leg in two consecutive operations weeks apart. The operations took place in December 2015 and January 2015, respectively.

The Invokana amputation lawsuitwas filed against Johnson and Johnson Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., two related companies responsible for the development, manufacturing, promotion, and distribution of Invokana, known generically as canagliflozin.

Invokana is a drug used to treat type-2 diabetes that is a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. Other diabetes treatment drugs that fall into this category are Farxiga, known generically as dapagliflozin, Jardiance, known generically as empagliflozin, and Invokamet, which has the same chemical basis as Invokana.

How Does an SGLT2 Inhibitor Work?

SGLT2 inhibitors function to control the buildup of blood sugar in type-2 diabetics by inhibiting the kidney’s efforts to reabsorb sugars into the blood stream and stimulate them instead to eliminate the excess through urination.

Domestically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved SGLT2 inhibitors as part of a trifecta of treatment that includes diet management and regular exercise. Invokana was specifically approved by the FDA and its European equivalent, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), in 2013.

Basis for Invokana Amputation Lawsuit

Again, within months of one another, the EMA and FDA have now issued warnings regarding the potential for diabetes amputation to be necessary because of treatment with Invokana.

In February 2017, the EMA notified the public regarding an increase in risk of lower extremity diabetic amputation with all SGLT2 inhibitors. While the data did not yet implicate any other drug in this way other than Invokana, steps were made to make those taking drugs of this class aware of its possible side effects.

By May 2017, the FDA was following suit and issuing a major safety warning to the public and medical health professionals. A black box warning of the increased risk of diabetic amputation and Invokana use was added to the label as of July 2017.

A Second Invokana Amputation Lawsuit

In another case similar to Roger’s, plaintiff Michael W. of Iowa has filed his own Invokana lawsuit over a below the knee amputation.

Michael alleges he started taking Invokana under the direction of his doctor in the spring of 2015. Within six months of starting this treatment regimen, he had to have his right lower leg removed in a diabetic amputation surgery.

Both plaintiffs, through their individual Invokana amputation lawsuits, accuse the named defendants of concealing their knowledge of the amputation risks of the drug while continuing to market it as a superior treatment choice.

The plaintiffs allege that the related pharmaceutical giants withheld key information from medical doctors and potential patients that exposed them and others to permanently disfiguring, disabling and life-threatening risks.