The development of Fournier disease has been connected to a number of different diabetes medications, including Segluromet. The Food and Drug Administration has already released a warning about the possibility of a serious flesh-eating infection of the genitals with type-2 diabetes medications classified as SGLT2 inhibitors.

Fournier disease is a major medical emergency. The infection can spread very quickly from the patient’s urinary tract. The initial symptoms of Fournier disease can be hard to spot since the condition is caused by thrombosis of small blood vessels located under the skin.

If the condition spreads quickly, a colostomy or abdominal exploration might be required. Any signs of the condition should be taken seriously. The dead or necrotic tissue has to be removed immediately for a patient who has developed Fournier’s gangrene.

There are many different causes of Fournier disease, including trauma, burns, insect bites, and perirectal diseases. However, new reports indicate that patients taking some classes of diabetes drugs could suffer from Fournier’s gangrene as a side effect.

A warning is now required on the exterior boxes and patient information pamphlets for these diabetes drugs, including Segluromet, Jardiance, Farxiga, Invokamet, and Invokana. The development of Fournier disease is also referred to as Fournier’s gangrene. This is a serious and potentially fatal bacterial infection of the tissues surrounding the genital area. Those most likely to develop Fournier disease are men between the ages of 50 and 79, according to WebMD.

WebMD also notes that a total of one dozen cases of Fournier disease were reported to the FDA between March 2013 and May 2018 in patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors. The condition has rarely been reported among women, although the dozen cases connected to Fournier disease included both men and women between the ages of 38 and 78 years old.

On average, those patients on an SGLT2 inhibitor developed the disease approximately 9 months after beginning the drug regimen. Those patients who developed Fournier disease were likely to discontinue taking the drug.

All 12 of the patients who reported the development of Fournier disease in connection with taking an SGLT2 inhibitor had to be hospitalized and had to undergo required surgery, according to WebMD. The surgery was necessary in order to remove infected tissue from Fournier disease.

Five of those dozen patients required more than one surgery and one patient had to undergo skin grafting as a result of the condition. One third of those patients developed severe complications in connection with the medical condition and resulting surgery including septic shock, acute kidney injury, and diabetic ketoacidosis.

Two of those patients had to be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital and one patient passed away as a result of the complications.

Diabetes already makes a patient’s risk for Fournier disease higher, but recent studies indicate that the possibility of developing this potentially life-threatening condition is much higher for those patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors like Segluromet. Those patients currently using Segluromet or another SGLT2 inhibitor may want to check in with their physician if they have concerns about Fournier disease.

Join a Free Diabetes Medications & Flesh-Eating Infection Lawsuit Investigation

The type-2 diabetes medications linked to the flesh-eating infection include:

• Invokana
• Invokamet/Invokamet XR
• Farxiga
• Xigduo XR
• Qtern
• Jardiance
• Glyxambi
• Synjardy/Synjardy XR
• Steglato
• Segluromet
• Steglujan

If you or a loved one took one of the type-2 diabetes medications listed above and suffered from a flesh-eating genital infection, you may qualify to join this diabetes medication lawsuit investigation. Fill out the FREE form on this page for more information.

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