Janumet Lawsuit Claims & Settlements – Lawyers & Attorneys
When someone discovers that he or she has contracted type 2 diabetes, that person needs to get to work to bring that health condition under control as quickly as possible. Allowing type 2 diabetes to go unchecked can lead to much more serious health problems and eventually to an early death. Generally speaking, people with type 2 diabetes need to maintain a healthy diet as well as some type of program of exercise with the help and oversight of their doctors. Many also need to use medication that helps to bring their blood sugar levels back into safe balance.
If you have suffered as a result of using this medication, you need to do what you can to level the playing field. Seek the help of Janumet lawsuit lawyers who have held pharmaceutical companies accountable for the harm they have done to consumers. There may be substantial cash compensation from claims and settlements, Contact National Injury Help, today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Given the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the United States these days, medications for this problem have also become common. One of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, Merck & Co., introduced Janumet several years ago and it produced generally positive results and an enormous amount of revenue for the company. Unfortunately, reports of Janumet side effects eventually began to surface, prompting legal action and inquiries all over the country.
What is Janumet? A Brief Description
Janumet contains two different medications: Sitagliptin and Metformin. Sitagliptin works by increasing levels of natural substances called incretins. These substances help to maintain blood sugar by increasing insulin release, usually after eating. Metformin works by restoring your body’s proper response to insulin that you naturally produce. It can also decrease the amount of sugar your liver makes and that your stomach or intestines absorb.
Helping to control your blood sugar can prevent kidney damage, blindness, nerve problems, and sexual function problems. The medication was also wildly successful, as it produced more than $1.5 billion in revenue in 2012 alone, adding to the multi-billion-dollar list of type 2 diabetes medications offered by Merck & Co.
List of Janumet Side Effects
Unfortunately, recent times have seen an outpouring of allegations of Janumet side effects by consumers around the United States who were using the medication properly but who encountered unforeseen health problems. There were a few parts of the body that seemed to be more vulnerable to Janumet side effects than others and reports of these side effects included the following conditions:
- Pancreatitis
- Pancreatic cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Kidney failure
Janumet & Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the organ lying behind the lower part of the stomach, or the pancreas. Some symptoms include:
- Pain in the back or abdomen
- Vomiting
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Loss of Appetite
- Fast heart rate
- Weight loss
Clearly, any or all of these health conditions are extremely dangerous and sometimes deadly, and to make matters worse most people who were using Janumet never suspected that they were in danger of developing additional health problems as they tried to control their type 2 diabetes.
As most people would clearly understand, Merck & Co. is a gigantic worldwide corporation that has billions of dollars in resources at its disposal to defend itself against consumers who make allegations of Janumet side effects. Individual consumers who are already dealing with serious health problems generally will not stand up well against teams of defense attorneys and medical experts who are all working to limit the financial exposure faced by their employer and/or client.
In 2009, the FDA announced they had received 88 reports of people developing acute pancreatitis from taking Janumet. Acute pancreatitis is a potentially life-threatening pancreas problem. The cases of pancreatitis include hemorrhagic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas with bleeding) and necrotizing pancreatitis (where the inflamed pancreas destroys itself).
Merck, the manufacturer of Janumet, responded, stating that they reviewed their data from its preclinical and clinical studies of sitagliptin and did not see any link between sitagliptin and acute pancreatitis. In addition, Merck claims that people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop pancreatitis than other people.
Janumet Lawsuit
In August of 2013, litigation involving Janumet and other diabetes drugs, such as Januvia, were considered to share similar allegations regarding the drugs’ link to pancreatic cancer. It was through this realization that a federal panel decided to consolidate the cases into a single federal court for pretrial proceedings. This will save money and time, and while the cases were consolidated, each plaintiff retains his or her own lawyer and suit. In addition, they retain their right to individual monetary award. As of February 2014, there were 306 pending cases against the makers of Janumet and similar drugs.
Questions & Answers About Janumet
What is Janumet used for?
Janumet, a variation of Januvia, is a medication used for Type 2 diabetes. It claims success at controlling blood sugar levels, however there can be serious side effects associated with the drug.
What are the side effects of taking Janumet?
There are several side effects from taking Janumet, including:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Swelling of hands or legs
- Upper respiratory infection
- Elevated liver enzymes
- Abdominal pain
Is Janumet linked to pancreatitis?
The most serious side effect associated with Janumet is pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that can cause the body’s digestive enzymes to attack the pancreas. In severe cases, the disease can lead to tissue damage, infection, cyst formation, and bleeding.
Some symptoms of pancreatitis are:
- Nausea
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Rapid heartbeat
Cases associated with Janumet are acute, and brief. In UCLA, a clinical study discovered that taking Janumet increases the risk of pancreatitis six-fold, and that cases usually develop in less than two months.
Is Janumet linked to pancreatic cancer?
Janumet is also linked to pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer tumors can grow without symptoms and sometimes aren’t detected until the cancer gets more serious. According to a study done at UCLA, patients taking Janumet have more than double the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The longer a patient has been taking the drug, the higher the risk of cancer.
Janumet Claims from class action Lawsuits Attorneys page updated on April 10, 2019
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-148074/janumet-oral/details#side-effects
