New Januvia/Byetta Pancreatic Cancer Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed

The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in April by Robin Tasler, the daughter Linda Blaylock, who died in April 2011 from pancreatic cancer. Tasler alleges Blaylock developed the cancer as a direct result of taking Januvia, Byetta, Bydureon and Janumet for several years to treat her type-2 diabetes.

According to the lawsuit, Blaylock took the type-2 diabetes drugs between 2008 and March 2011. Medications such as Januvia (sitagliptin) and Janumet (sitagliptin/metformin) are members of a new group of diabetes drugs called incretin mimetics that 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 key to metabolizing glucose as well as maintaining a steady glucose level in the blood.

The lawsuit alleges that drug makers Merck & Co. as well as Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly and Co., and Bristol-Myers Squibb failed to adequately warn doctors or patients about the potential risk of pancreatic cancer caused by their drugs. The lawsuit further accuses the pharmaceutical companies of designing a defective drug, breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation and fraudulent concealment.

The FDA is examining research that shows a link between these types of diabetes drugs and pancreatic cancer. What this research shows is that the cancer caused by Januvia, Byetta, Bydureon, Janumet and other related drugs begins at the cellular level.

According to the FDA, they are currently “evaluating unpublished new findings by a group of academic researchers that suggest an increased risk of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, and pre-cancerous cellular changes called pancreatic duct metaplasia in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with a class of drugs called incretin mimetics.”

The FDA has also issued a report on 88 cases of pancreatitis between October 2006 and February 2009. Of the 88 cases, 66 needed to be hospitalized, and four had to be admitted to intensive care units. Twenty-one percent of those who were diagnosed with pancreatitis developed it within 30 days from the time they started taking Januvia. And in a little over half of the cases, the pancreatitis stopped when they stopped taking Januvia.

About 55 drug injury lawsuits have been filed in federal courts across the country by victims of Januvia pancreas cancer. A motion was filed in April with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to consolidate all the Januvia lawsuits into one MDL.

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 type-2 diabetes drugs Januvia, Byetta, Bydureon or Janumet, 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 to assess whether or not this type-2 diabetes medication played a role in your illness, so act now.