Drugs like Januvia belong to a newer, more expensive class of drugs to control type-2 diabetes. However, a recent study suggests that despite the higher price, older drugs may be just as effective at controlling diabetes. This study could have important implications as newer drugs like Januvia have been linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

The Study

The study was conducted by researchers affiliated with the University of Michigan, the Mayo Clinic, and North Carolina State University. The researchers compared data collected over 15 years from more than 37,000 individuals. The researchers compared the outcomes of patients taking newer-generation diabetes drugs. It was found that over the course of treatment, patients on both the older-type drugs and newer drugs like Januvia had similar outcomes. This was the case even though the newer drugs cost $1,600 to $2,400 more per patient over the course of their illness.

Januvia Cancer Concerns

A number of studies have linked drugs like Januvia and related drugs to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. For example, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that patients taking Januvia had a 2.9 times greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer than other diabetes patients. A similar study in the journal Gastroenterology found a similar increase.

Januvia Cancer Lawsuits

Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of Januvia and related diabetes drugs by victims of pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer. These lawsuits allege that the manufacturers were aware of the risk of cancer associated with their drug, but continued to market the drugs, knowingly endangering consumers.

These Januvia cancer lawsuits have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation, a type of group legal action similar to a class action lawsuit. Like a Januvia class action lawsuit, members of the Januvia cancer MDL allege that they have suffered similar harm at the hands of the same defendant.

Mass torts and class action lawsuits are designed to save the resources of everyone involved. The plaintiffs can pool the cost of their lawsuit, the defendant only has to face a single lawsuit, and the court system only has to handle a single case. The main difference in a Januvia class action lawsuit is that all of the plaintiffs band together to file a single lawsuit as a group, while MDLs typically start as individual lawsuits filed across different court districts. Through the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, the individual lawsuits are consolidated into a single, coordinated legal proceeding.