Are You Experiencing Fournier Gangrene Symptoms?

Are You Experiencing Fournier Gangrene Symptoms? Have you experienced Fournier gangrene symptoms after taking pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s Farxiga drug or another SGLT2 inhibitor for diabetes?

An entire class of diabetes drugs that includes AstraZeneca’s Farxiga has been associated with severe side effects, including Fournier gangrene, a rare flesh eating infection of the genitals.

Background of Farxiga

The Farxiga drug is manufactured by AstraZeneca, and is also known by its generic name, dapagliflozin. Farxiga is part of a group of diabetes drugs known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Other SGLT2 inhibitors include Glyxambi, Invokana, and Jardiance, among others.

Unfortunately, Farxiga and other diabetes drugs in its class have been associated with severe side effects, including Fournier gangrene—a severe flesh eating infection of the genitals. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert in August warning the public about the flesh eating infection in relation to SGLT2 inhibitors like AstraZeneca’s Farxiga. The FDA is now requiring that companies include a warning about the risk of Fournier gangrene symptoms on the labeling for their SGLT2 inhibitors.

Fournier Gangrene Symptoms

The Fournier gangrene flesh eating infection is also known as necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum. This medical term may sound technical, but its meaning is incredibly worrying: essentially, this is a flesh eating bacterial infection of the genitals. Breaking it down, necrotizing fasciitis is a bacterial infection under the skin. The infection can affect muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and fat, and can spread extremely quickly. The perineum is the area between the anus and the vulva or scrotum.

According to the FDA, Fournier gangrene symptoms can include tenderness, redness, swelling of the genitals, or a high fever. If you suspect you’re developing Fournier gangrene symptoms after taking an SGLT2 inhibitor, seek medical attention immediately, because this condition can cause loss of limbs or even prove deadly. Treatment generally involves hospitalization and surgery.

Fournier gangrene symptoms can be caused by a number of diabetes drugs, including Farxiga. Indeed, these SGLT2 inhibitors increase the risk of developing Fournier gangrene symptoms because of the process of ridding the body of excess sugar. This results in more sugar in the urine, which in turn can draw more bacteria to the genitals.

The FDA reports that instances of Fournier gangrene symptoms are reportedly more common in patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors than for patients taking other kinds of anti-diabetic drugs. According to the FDA, twelve cases of Fournier gangrene symptoms from SGLT2 inhibitors were reported between March 2013 and May 2018. All of these led to hospitalization, and one resulted in a fatality from the infection. With other diabetes medications, only six such cases have been reported in more than 30 years, the FDA says.

Filing a Fournier Gangrene Symptoms Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has suffered Fournier gangrene symptoms after taking the Farxiga drug, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While of course filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by Fournier gangrene, it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.