There are an estimated 25 million people in the United States with diabetes with an estimated $245 billion a year in diabetes-related health costs. A number of drugs have been introduced to treat diabetes patients and time has shown that certain types of these drugs can cause substantial injury.
Byetta (Exenatide), manufactured by Amylin Pharmaceuticals, in association with Eli Lilly and Co., entered the market in 2005 for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Byetta is a type of incretin mimetic that is administered as a subcutaneous injection of the abdomen, thigh or arm within 60 minutes of a person’s first and last meal of the day (i.e. two injections a day). Byetta is widely prescribed and made $710 million in 2010 and is expected to surpass $1 billion in sales by 2015.
Januvia/Janumet (Sitagliptin) was developed and marketed by Merck & Co. as an oral anti-hyperglycemic beginning in 2006. It is an enzyme-inhibiting drug that helps control blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics. Januvia generated sales of more than $4 billion last year alone.
Victoza (Liraglutide), developed and manufactured by Novo Nordisk, was approved for sale and use in January 2010 for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Victoza is a type of incretin mimetic that is administered as a once-daily injection. It has enjoyed strong market support, selling an estimated $1 billion in 2011. Sales reached nearly $750 million in the first half of 2012.
Recently, researchers at Johns Hopkins University determined that these medications could be linked to pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, leading to an FDA warning. The FDA is currently working with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases and the National Cancer Institute to determine whether incretin mimetic medications should be pulled from the market altogether.
If you feel you have experienced any side-effects from taking Byetta, Januvia/Janumet or Victoza, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort/Pharmaceutical Litigation attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any claims that you might have against the Byetta, Januvia/Janumet or Victoza manufacturers.