Diabetes Drug Cancer Lawsuits Consolidated into MDL

Lawsuits related to type-2 diabetes drugs known as incretin mimetics, which have been linked to pancreatic cancer, were combined into multidistrict litigation (MDL) last week by the U.S. Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). The panel combined 53 lawsuits against diabetes drug makers Merck & Co. Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Eli Lilly & Co., and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. The MDL will now be transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. 

The JPML said that they do not normally combine lawsuits against different defendants, but in this case, the way the drugs were manufactured, marketed, and the pancreatic cancer side effects were very similar, regardless of which manufacturer made the particular diabetes drug. Also, some patients took more than one of the diabetes drugs in this class and the discovery will include the same documents and witnesses, the panel decided. “Accordingly, there are substantial efficiencies to be gained by having all allegations regarding this class of drugs in a single forum,” the order stated.

The drugs at issue are Victoza by Novo Nordisk; Byetta by Bristol-Meyers subsidiary Amylin Pharmaceuticals LLC and sold in collaboration with Eli Lilly; and Janumet and Januvia, both made by Merck. These four diabetes medications are in the class of oral diabetes medications called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4). This class of drugs is also known as incretin mimetics, which work by helping to control blood sugar for those suffering from type-2 diabetes. They increase the production of insulin and stop the pancreas from releasing too much glucagon—hormones that are important for metabolizing glucose as well as maintaining a steady glucose level in the blood.

However, according to reports, patients who take Januvia and Byetta have a higher rate of acute pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, and pancreatic cancer as well as thyroid cancer. Plaintiffs in the 53 pancreatic cancer lawsuits claim that at least one of the four incretin mimetics was the leading cause of the pancreatic cancer experienced by themselves or their family members.

In March, a study of type-2 diabetes drugs was published in the medical journal Diabetes. In this study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that type-2 diabetes drugs like Januvia and Byetta show an increase in pre-cancerous activity such as abnormal development (dysplasia) in the pancreas of patients taking medications that mimic incetins, the gastrointertestinal hormones that cause an increase in insulin.

The UCLA study reflects the increase in reports that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has received from pancreatic cancer patients who took diabetes drugs such as Januvia and Byetta over those who took other drugs to treat their diabetes. 

The FDA also said in March that it was reviewing previously unpublished research that showed a link between precancerous cellular changes. The FDA is expected to require that the drug makers Merck (Januvia), Bristol-Myers (Byetta) and Novo Nordisk (Victoza) update the warning labels to reflect the risk of pancreatic cancer. 

If you or someone you know has suffered from pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer or other serious side effects as a result of taking the Januvia type-2 diabetes drug, legal options are available to you. Learn more and get a free consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Type 2 Diabetes Drugs Januvia, Byetta Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Experienced legal professionals have access to medical experts who can determine whether or not a type-2 diabetes medication played a role in your illness, so act now.