A Bydureon attorney can help patients who have been injured by the medication. Bydureon, a prescription medication used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes, has been allegedly linked to pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer as well as other health complications. While thousands of patients have taken the medication and reported little or no side effects, many others could be eligible to seek compensation for their injuries with the help of a bad drug attorney.
For more information, contact Attorney Group today. Our consultations are free, confidential and without any obligation on your part. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a claim we can connect you with an affiliated attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
What is Bydureon?
Bydureon was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012 as a once-weekly injection in the abdomen, thigh or upper arm. While it is one of the more recent medications introduced for those living with type 2 diabetes, the drug is a long-acting form of Byetta, another medication prescribed by physicians to help those with diabetes better control their blood glucose levels.
The drug functions in much the same way as Byetta in that it stimulates the secretion and production of insulin in the pancreas when blood sugar levels are low. However, patients are filing lawsuits with the help of a Bydureon attorney alleging that the medication causes similar conditions and side effects as Byetta, including pancreatic cancer.
How Does Bydureon Work?
Unfortunately there is no current cure for diabetes, so patients often seek to help better manage their condition with the assistance of medications. Bydureon and other similar drugs help patients’ bodies to produce insulin in an effort to regulate blood sugar levels. If a physician determines that a patient’s pancreas is unable to produce the proper amount of insulin, he or she may diagnosis the patient as a diabetic. While many have successfully used Bydureon and report that the drug helped them to control their conditions, others are currently seeking legal counsel from a Bydureon attorney to recover damages, alleging serious and sometimes-fatal health complications.
Bydureon Risks
Those who are filing lawsuits and working with a Bydureon attorney allege that the most common side effects of the medication, while not necessarily indicative of a serious health condition, include:
- A bump or itching at the injection site
- Indigestion
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Headache
- Constipation
However, clinical trials and studies have recently linked the medication to an increased risk of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, a condition that can lead to a fatal thyroid or pancreatic cancer diagnosis. According to experts in the healthcare community, not many patients are aware of pancreatitis, and the disease may progress into its late stages before symptoms are noticed. Those who are working with a Bydureon attorney allege that the medication caused side effects indicative of pancreatic cancer including:
- Vomiting, diarrhea, nausea
- Dark-colored urine
- Clay-colored stools
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice)
- Rapid weight loss
- Weakness or fatigue
- Pain in the stomach or upper abdomen
The FDA has also reported allergic reactions, kidney failure, kidney complications and low blood sugar levels as potential side effects of the medication. Additionally, the agency released its first warnings concerning Byetta and pancreatitis in October 2007. At the time of the announcement, the agency had received over 30 cases of patients who had been diagnosed with pancreatitis. Critics of the medication allege that the FDA should not have approved another medication so similar to Byetta when it had been possibly linked to adverse health conditions in both humans and laboratory animals.
Plaintiffs also filing lawsuits allege that both hemorrhagic and necrotizing pancreatitis increased their risk of organ failure and death and are working with a Bydureon lawyer to seek compensation for pain and suffering, medical expenses and lost wages.
The FDA also reported that those who are allergic to the drug’s active ingredients, those with tumors in more than one gland and patients with a history of medullary thyroid cancer should avoid Bydureon because the medication could increase the risk of pancreatitis even greater.
How a Bydureon Attorney Can Help
Drug manufacturers have a duty to ensure their products are accompanied by full and accurate instructions and warnings to guide prescribing doctors and other health care providers in making treatment decisions. If a drug maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.
Patients who are injured by Bydureon may be entitled to compensation for damages, including:
- Medical expenses
- The permanency of the injury
- Pain, suffering, and mental anguish
- Loss of income or ability to work
The families of those who have died may be eligible to recover money for funeral expenses and the pain that comes with losing a loved one.
Patients who have suffered severe side effects after taking Bydureon, as well as the families of those who have died as a result of complications with the drug, are encouraged to seek the advice of a Bydureon attorney to learn more about their rights and remedies.
For more information, contact Attorney Group. After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.
