Louisiana Janumet Lawsuit Attorneys
Janumet is the trademarked name for a medication that combines two kinds of antihyperglycemic drugs: sitagliptin and metformin. It is intended for patients with type 2 diabetes: People with Janumet prescriptions are supposed to take this medication once a day to lower their levels of blood sugar. The problem with Janumet, as Louisiana Janumet lawsuit attorneys know all too well, is that many patients who have taken it have experienced powerfully adverse side effects.
Janumet in the Marketplace
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Janumet in April 2007. From the start, Merck & Co. has produced this drug; Merck is a large pharmaceutical company that was founded in 1891. And from 2007 to the present day, Janumet has proven exceptionally popular, generating billions of dollars of sales—$1.7 billion just in 2012.
Janumet’s Side Effects
However, the problem with this medication, according to Louisiana Janumet lawsuit attorneys and many others, is that it can lead to pancreatitis—the inflammation of the pancreas—and to pancreatic cancer, a form of cancer that is particularly fast-spreading and deadly. Louisiana Janumet lawsuit attorneys assert that Merck was either negligent in not conducting clinical trials in which such effects may have been discovered, or that the company knew all along of data that indicated those potential dangers. Either way, Merck would appear to have been more interested in making money than in protecting the public.
As Louisiana Janumet lawsuit attorneys could tell you, it’s not just the pancreas that can be affected by this drug. Rather, this medication can induce a range of unpleasant side effects, including diarrhea, throat soreness, nausea, headaches, stomachaches, allergic reactions such as rashes and hives, respiratory infections, and a pronounced lack of appetite. Worst of all, in a small group of people—especially people living with liver, kidney, or cardiovascular problems—it can lead to lactic acidosis, a condition in which lactic acid pools so quickly within the bloodstream that it can cause death.
The FDA’s Involvement
The FDA began hearing about links between afflictions of the pancreas and Janumet—as well as its “parent” drug Januvia—in October 2006. By February 2009, 88 individuals who were on one of those two drugs had told the FDA that they had suffered from pancreatitis. Some of these cases were especially painful and dangerous, involving pancreatic bleeding and even the total destruction of the pancreas.
What the FDA discovered about these cases after conducting an investigation is startling, and certainly of interest to Louisiana Janumet lawsuit attorneys. For instance, consider the following statistic: More than half of those pancreatic problems, about 53%, went away after the patients stopped taking Janumet or Janivia. Indeed, the overall evidence was so compelling that the FDA established a direct connection between Janumet, Janivia and pancreatitis. In 2009, the FDA instructed Merck to study the issue further, and to provide warnings about pancreatitis on each container of these drugs. The FDA has also advised doctors and others within the medical community to be on the lookout for symptoms of pancreatitis in every patient who begins taking the drug or a stronger dosage of the drug.
Compensation for Janumet Victims
Louisiana Janumet lawsuit attorneys realize, however, that product warnings and additional studies are of little benefit to those who have taken the drug and who have already become ill. Therefore, if you live in Louisiana and you’ve taken Janumet and you suspect that you’ve suffered health problems as a result, contact Louisiana Janumet lawsuit attorneys as soon as possible. Louisiana Janumet lawsuit attorneys will look into your case and use their experience to represent you in court. Contact us today for a no-charge, no-obligation consultation.
