As we have previously reported, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) granted multidistrict litigation (MDL) treatment to the incretin mimetic litigation, meaning that all federal lawsuits filed across the United States are now centralized in one judicial district. The incretin mimetic litigation, which includes the medications Byetta, Januvia/Janumet and Victoza, was centralized in the Southern District of California. This consolidation streamlines the pretrial discovery process, allowing the parties to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent rulings from different judges.
The federal court recently held its first status conference in the MDL proceedings. The Honorable Anthony J. Battaglia, District Court Judge, scheduled the conference to discuss the appointment of lead and liaison counsel for the plaintiffs and defendants. The parties prepared a Joint Status Report that addressed various discovery and case related matters in the litigation. There are roughly 100 cases currently pending and it is expected that thousands more will follow in the near future.
If you or a loved one has suffered from pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer after 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 potential claims.