A Byetta lawsuit attorney can help patients who have been injured by the diabetes medication. Approved in April 2005 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the drug was intended to help reduce blood sugar levels. However, patients undergoing this treatment have reported severe side effects from the drug, including an increased risk of pancreatitis. Affected patients may be eligible to seek compensation 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 Byetta lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
What is Byetta?
Byetta (exantide) belongs to a class of drugs down as incretin mimetics, which help to imitate the action of incretin hormones such as GLP-1 and GIP, typically found in the gastrointestinal tract. The drug purportedly works by lowering the patient’s blood’s glucose levels by stimulating the secretion of insulin from the body’s pancreatic cells.
After it received approval from the FDA, the drug was hailed as a revolutionary treatment for those who had been previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The medication was introduced into the United States in 2005 and marketed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals. The manufacturer claimed that when patients were injected with the drug twice per day, their bodies were able to increase low blood sugar levels.
Due to aggressive marketing tactics, Amylin Pharmaceuticals reportedly grossed over $700 million in sales between 2005 and 2008. Physicians wrote over 7 million prescriptions for the drug after its introduction, and while the medication has helped many patients manage their type 2 diabetes, others have reported serious adverse side effects from the drug including an increased risk of developing thyroid or pancreatic cancer.
Studies Concerning Byetta
A Byetta lawsuit attorney notes a study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology in 2011 reported that the use of exenatide increased the patient’s chances of developing pancreatic cancer by up to 600%, as compared to other treatment methods. Additionally, patients are reportedly more likely to suffer from pancreatic cancer if they took the medication, as compared with other traditional therapy methods.
Researchers raised concerns regarding the cancer risk stemming from use of the drug in February 2013, following a study that reported that patients who were treated with exenatide were twice as likely to require hospitalization stemming from pancreatitis. Although diabetics are typically at a greater risk for developing pancreatitis without using these medications, the intake of exenatide may increase this risk even more.
Byetta Side Effects
Other side effects include kidney damage, failure, and altered functions, hypersensitivity, immunogenicity, renal impairment, hypoglycemia, acute necrotizing pancreatitis, headaches, vomiting, nausea, chest pain, and severe allergic reactions. Additionally, patients report severe upper abdominal pain which has been described as “radiating throughout the back,” elevated respiratory and heart rates, and unstable blood pressure.
The FDA issued an alert in October 2007 as the result of over 30 reports from Byetta patients who had used the drug and been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. The warning was later updated in August 2008, following six additional cases of both hemorrhagic pancreatitis and necrotizing pancreatitis and two deaths. Of the 30 reports, five had suffered from kidney failure. Patients reported worse symptoms at increased dosages of the medications; moreover, patients acknowledged that their symptoms subsided after they ceased using the medication.
The FDA then directed the manufacturer to conduct six studies regarding the reports of pancreatitis associated with the intake of Byetta, after reporting that four patients had died of pancreatic and four others had been hospitalized for hemorrhaging. Additionally, the FDA has expressed concern that all of the extended-release diabetes drugs within the GLP-1 receptor agonist family may also be linked to thyroid tumors based on results from tests on monkeys and rats. Again, in 2009, the FDA revealed that it had received 78 additional reports of patients suffering from kidney problems.
How a Byetta Lawsuit 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 Byetta 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
If a patient dies from complications after taking Byetta, family members may be entitled to compensation for the wrongful death of their loved one, including:
- Conscious pain and suffering of a loved one prior to death
- Pain, suffering, and mental anguish from the loss of a loved one
- Funeral expenses
Patients who have suffered severe side effects after taking Byetta, 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 Byetta lawsuit 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.