A lawsuit has been filed against the manufacturers and distributors of Belviq, a weight-management drug which has been linked to higher levels of canceramongst those who take it. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested a voluntary recall of the drug due to dangerous Belviq side effects.

The Belviq side effects lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs Stephanie and Robert F. on June 20, 2020. The suit alleges that the defendants failed to properly test Belviq, and that, as a result, patients like Stephanie were exposed to dangerous side effects. Stephanie developed breast cancer allegedly due to her use of Belviq.

The lawsuit is seeking compensation for Stephanie’s pain and suffering, humiliation, decreased quality of life, medical costs, and rehabilitation expenses as well as attorney’s fees and court costs.

This Belviq Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 2:20-cv-01675-LMA-MBN in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

What is Belviq?

According to the FDA’s prescribing information for Belviq, Belviq is a “serotonin 2C receptor agonist” which is meant to help adults manage their weight when accompanied by a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

It is often prescribed for obese individuals with high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart disease. The drug is manufactured, marketed, and distributed by Eisai Inc and Arena Pharmaceuticals. According to GoodRx, Belviq is an expensive and unpopular weight-loss drug when compared with its competitors. It also isn’t covered by most Medicare and insurance plans.

Belviq Side Effects

The most common Belviq side effects listed by the FDA are dizziness, headaches, fatigue, dry mouth, nausea, and constipation. In patients with diabetes, common Belviq side effects include back pain, headaches, cough, fatigue, and hypoglycemia, a condition in which a person’s blood sugar levels are lower than normal.

The lawsuit regarding this drug alleges that other Belviq side effects include cancer and “severe and personal injuries” leading to lifelong medical treatment. Most importantly, the lawsuit alleges that the manufacturers of the drug knew about the dangerous Belviq side effects but failed to notify consumers of these risks.

Belviq FDA Recall

The side effects associated with Belviq led the FDA to request a voluntary recall of the drug in January of this year. The recall cites clinical trials that showed an “increased occurrence of cancer” amongst users.

These trials were requested by the FDA to “evaluate the risk of cardiovascular problems” when the drug was first approved in 2012. These trials found that Belviq users were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than study members who were given a placebo. The cancers found in these patients include lung, pancreatic, and colorectal. According to the FDA, the risks of Belviq side effects outweigh the benefits of the drug.

Belviq Testing and Tumor Development

According to the lawsuit filed against Eisai Pharmaceuticals, early tests of Belviq found multiple types of tumors growing in rats exposed to the drug. The manufacturer claimed that these tumors were caused by rodent-specific factors. The suit states that, in testing done on human participants, weight loss was seen in the first year, but all treatment groups saw weight regain in the second year. Due to these results, originally, the drug was denied approval for sale in the U.S.

However, Belviq’s manufacturers convened a pathology working group to readjudicate the data from the original studies on rodents and conducted further studies in order to show that the tumors seen in rats were due to rodent-specific factors.

The manufacturers reapplied for approval with this data and new studies on the efficacy of the drug and were successful. However, approval came with a request by the FDA for the defendants to conduct further testing on the drug. The results of these later studies were what convinced the FDA of the considerable cancer risks associated with Belviq side effects and led to a recall of the drug.

Join A Belviq Cancer Side Effects Lawsuit Investigation

If you took Belviq or Belviq XR and developed cancer, you may be able to join a FREE Belviq cancer class action lawsuit investigation. Fill out the form on this page for more information.

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