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Wife’s Pancreatic Cancer Was Caused by Januvia, Lawsuit Says
By Robert J. Boumis
Gene Bordelon is suing on behalf of his deceased wife, Felicia Bordelon, alleging that the diabetes drug Januvia caused her to develop pancreatic cancer. The Januvia lawsuit names various components of drug manufacturer Merck Dohme & Co. as defendants.
Felicia Bordelon began taking Januvia in May 2010 to help control her type-2 diabetes. She continued to take the drug up through October 2012. In November 2012, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and died from the disease in early 2013. Since pancreatic cancer is rarely diagnosed until it reaches an advanced stage, such a sudden passing is not uncommon with this disease.
The Januvia lawsuit alleges that the defendants were aware – or reasonably should have been aware – that their drug could potentially cause pancreatic cancer and other life-threatening side effects. The complaint cites a number of published documents that posit a link between Januvia and related drugs and the risk of developing various forms of cancer. These include a document published by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2013, before Felicia Bordelon began taking the drug, as well as studies published in various peer-reviewed journals from the same general timeframe. Additionally, the text of the Januvia lawsuit points out that the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) contained references to cancer and life-threatening pancreatitis deaths linked to these medications.
The Januvia pancreatic cancer lawsuit further alleges that not only did the defendants know about the risks, but they actively downplayed these risks, preventing patients like Felicia Bordelon and their prescribing physicians from having all of the information they needed to make informed medical decisions regarding their diabetes treatment. For example, according to the lawsuit, the manufacturers of the drug have never sought to enlarge the pancreatic cancer warning included with the drug, and continue to market Januvia as having a low risk of side effects.
The Januvia lawsuit is formally titled Gene Bordelon, Individually and as Proposed Administrator of the Estate of Felicia Bordelon v. Merck & Co. Inc., et al., Case No. 3:13-cv-02313-AJB-MDD, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
If you or someone you care about took Januvia, Janumet or other drugs of this class and went on to experience serious side effects like pancreatitis or cancer, you have almost certainly found yourself facing a challenging situation. All of these conditions have the potential to be life-threatening medical emergencies.
All medical device, dangerous drug and medical class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Drug and Medical Device section of Top Class Actions.
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