A woman has filed suit over the allegedly defective nature of Invokana after the diabetes drug caused her to develop diabetic ketoacidosis.

Lisa W. was prescribed Invokana in October 2015 to help control her blood sugar.

Invokana (generically canagliflozin) used to treat type-2 diabetes can lead to ketoacidosis in some patients, reported the FDA recently.

Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Co., and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. are all named as defendants in the lawsuit for having played a part in the development, designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling of the drug.

Invokana is prescribed to maintain lower blood sugar levels in adults with type-2 diabetes. It is in a class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors, which work by making the kidneys remove sugar from the body through the urine rather than have it be reabsorbed into the blood.

As a result of this action, patients can become dehydrated, which taxes the kidneys.

Defective Nature of Invokana Leads to Ketoacidosis

Ketoacidosis is a condition in which the body has produced an abnormally high level of blood acids. This is a dangerous situation that can lead to brain swelling and kidney failure. Everyone’s body has a narrow range of blood and cellular fluids that can be considered either too acidic (low pH) or too basic (high pH).

Ketoacidosis occurs when the body’s cells don’t receive the glucose they need for energy, and the body begins to burn fat for energy, a process that produces ketones. These ketones break down the fat to turn it into energy. When the ketones build up in the blood, the resulting ketoacidosis can make a person very ill.

In diabetic ketoacidosis, insulin levels are so low that the body cannot regulate blood sugar, and the fatty acid flow is inadequate.

Between March 2013 to June 2014, the FDA reported 20 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis in patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors such as Invokana.

The FDA reports the median time between the start of taking Invokana and the onset of ketoacidosis symptoms was two weeks.

The defective nature of Invokana also includes a risk of kidney damage as well. Patients should be aware of signs such as decreased urination and swelling of the hands or feet, which can mean toxins are building up in the body.

According to Lisa’s lawsuit, “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, willful and wanton failure to provide adequate instructions, and willful misrepresentations concerning the nature and safety of Invokana.”

Janssen, Johnson & Johnson and Mitsubishi are accused of knowing “of the significant risk of diabetic ketoacidosis caused by ingestion of Invokana,” but of failing to warn the medical community, consumers, or Lisa of the inherent risks.

The Invokana lawsuit says: “Plaintiff’s injuries were a reasonably forseeable consequence of Defendants’ conduct” and the defective nature of Invokana.

If you have developed kidney problems or diabetic ketoacidosis as a result of the defective nature of Invokana, you could benefit from speaking to a lawyer regarding your options for compensation.

The Invokana Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-00377-SGC in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Eastern Division.