A plaintiff, Karen S., files a product liability litigation against Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, for serious adverse effects and complications suffered due to her taking Invokana, a medication prescribed for the treatment of type-2 diabetes.

According to the Invokana kidney damage lawsuit, her Invokana prescription had caused her to suffer serious side effects and complications, including kidney damage.

Karen’s products liability litigation is filed as part of a large multidistrict litigation, or MDL, centered on allegations that Invokana causes serious side effects, including ketoacidosis and kidney damage, unbeknownst to patients who were prescribed the type-2 diabetes medication.

Karen, a resident and citizen of the state of New York, was prescribed and began taking Invokana in July 2015 until approximately October 2015.

In agreeing to be treated for type-2 diabetes, she had wanted to make the effort to reduce her blood sugar level. She was under the belief that the defendant’s claims of Invokana were accurate and effective for the treatment of diabetes.

According to the Invokana kidney damage lawsuit, however, Invokana can cause serious adverse effects and complications, including kidney damage. Moreover, the Invokana lawsuit maintains that the defendants should have known that in taking Invokana, patients ran the risk of potentially developing diabetic ketoacidosis and kidney damage.

The Invokana kidney damage lawsuit maintains, “the 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…”

Invokana Kidney Damage Lawsuit Facts

Diabetic ketoacidosis is the condition when the body is unable to produce enough insulin. This results in the blood becoming acidic, and without enough insulin in the bloodstream, the body is unable to metabolize the sugar instead of fat, resulting in a buildup of ketones.

With an increased amount of ketones in the body, there is potential for kidney damage and failure.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned against the development of Invokana kidney damage in May 2015. The federal agency had warned that SGLT2 inhibitors, a class of which Invokana is a part of, is associated with kidney damage.

This class of medication works by making the kidneys get rid of extra sugar through urination. This effect is linked to kidney damage.

According to a report, the FDA says that FAERS, or the Adverse Event Reporting System, shows 20 cases resulting from kidney damage and other conditions occurring due to patients taking Invokana or other SGLT2 inhibitors.

According to the report, each case required the patient to be admitted into a hospital. The FDA has ultimately warned against medical practitioners prescribing Invokana and other SGLT2 inhibitors to patients.

According to the Invokana kidney damage lawsuit, Karen iterates that she would have never agreed to take the medication had she known of the increased risks and adverse effects resulting from taking it, and the danger associated in developing kidney damage.

Karen’s Invokana Kidney Damage Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-06314-BRM-LHG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The Invokana MDL is In re: Invokana (Canagliflozin) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2750, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.