Januvia/Byetta Pancreas Victims Want to Consolidate Lawsuits

By Jessica Tyner

Some diabetes patients who were prescribed Januvia and Byetta have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and the lion’s share of them want to consolidate their Januvia lawsuits. To get things started, a request has been filed with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. However, Januvia and Byetta aren’t the only diabetic drugs included in the filing — Janumet and Victoza pancreatitis victims have also stepped forward.

According to research conducted by the Journal for the American Medical Association (JAMA), taking Byetta or Januvia can double a person’s risk for developing pancreatic cancer. When the pancreas is inflamed, it can result in life-threatening situations. Since Januvia and Byetta are prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, many people take these drugs for years. Nearly 100 million Americans are treating type 2 diabetes, and it’s likely that the number will continue to increase. Diabetes prevention and management is a $20 billion per year industry.

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FDA Warns Transvaginal Mesh POP Treatment Carries Serious Risks

By Robert J. Boumis

Depakote Pregnancy Risks Include Birth Defects

By Christina Drury

Depakote has been prescribed by physicians since 1983 for various reasons. One of the main uses of the drug is as an anti-seizure medication, but it has also been used for the treatment of migraines. While the drug has been effective for both, its use in women who are pregnant has proven to come with many possible side effects to the unborn child, including birth defects and lower IQ scores. The manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories, was recently ordered to pay more than $700 million in fines on October 2, 2012, for its marketing of Depakote for off-use labeling.

Risk May Far Outweigh Benefits for Some

When a doctor treats a patient with any drug, its use is for the benefit of the patient. In most cases the patient is able to live a more productive life with the help of a drug, which helps to control illnesses or disorders. But when the side effects may potentially outweigh the benefits, it is up to the patient to discuss with their doctor if these potentially harmful effects should affect their decision to take the drug.

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Pradaxa May Cause Serious Bleeding, Increased Risk of Stroke

By Robert J. Boumis

A stroke can be devastating. In 2010, the drug Dabigatran etexilate mesylate -- sold under the trade names Pradaxa, Pradax, and Prazaxa -- hit the market as a way to reduce the risk of stroke in patients in immediate danger. However, life-threatening bleeding events were reported by a number of patients after taking the drug.

In a stroke, a blood clot gets lodged in the brain. This cuts off the blood supply to parts of the brain, causing serious brain damage. Pradaxa works by inhibiting thrombin. Thrombin is a protein that is vital to the process of clotting blood. When thrombin is inhibited, clotting becomes much more difficult. In the case of a patient at risk for a stroke, this can be a good thing, since it is harder for the body to form a blood clot. Without clots, a stroke cannot happen. For this reason, Pradaxa is called an anticoagulant or “blood-thinner.”

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