Diabetes Drug Linked to Amputation Subject to Numerous Legal Claims Across the Country
Invokana, along with related drugs Invokamet and Invokamet XR, is the subject of much litigation throughout the United States. These medications, also known by their generic name canagliflozin, cause severe side effects requiring amputation of the lower limbs, ketoacidosis, and kidney problems. Accordingly, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warnings about the dangers of taking Invokana. The warnings came too late. Many people had to suffer the loss of a toe or foot before the government took action and began warning people about the dangers lurking from taking canagliflozin.
Janssen Pharmaceuticals manufacturers Invokana. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and its parent company Johnson & Johnson, now face numerous lawsuits concerning the injuries people suffered from taking Invokana.
Parker Waichman LLP is currently litigating claims advanced by victims of Invokana. Parker Waichman’s Invokana attorneys, who enjoy the reputation of being zealous advocates for the rights of people injured by huge corporations, want to help you and your family recover damages from the international drug makers who failed to announce the possible side effects these potent medicines could inflict upon an unsuspecting patient.
Invokana Dangers
Invokana was once touted as a drug that could revolutionize treatment for Type-2 diabetes mellitus. Invokana is a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor or SGLT2 for short. SGLT is a protein that works with the kidneys to cull glucose from the bloodstream and redirect it to the muscles. At that point, the pancreas would begin secreting insulin to help the muscles and other tissue absorb the glucose coursing through the diabetic’s blood. But, Invokana is an SGLT2 inhibitor, meaning that Invokana prevents the kidneys from reabsorbing the glucose. Instead, the glucose exits the body during urination.
In May of 2017, the FDA announced that Invokana, Invokamet, and Invokamet XR ingestion produced a side effect that necessitated amputating a toe, foot, or leg below the knee. The study, called “CANVAS” demonstrated that there was a serious risk of amputation from taking canagliflozin. Consequently, the FDA issued a mandate announcing that all prescription literature, including the boxes, of any drug containing canagliflozin, must carry the “Black Box Warning.” The FDA’s Black Box Warning is the highest level of warning the FDA uses. The Black Box Warning, about canagliflozin, indicated that the risk for amputation was elevated in contrast to people who did not take canagliflozin.
In February of 2017, the European Medical Association (EMA) required canagliflozin manufacturers to post warnings similar to the FDA’s Black Box Warning on the literature and boxes accompanying the drug. The FDA stopped short of including the other two drugs in the gliflozin class, empagliflozin, and dapagliflozin, in its Black Box Warning mandate. By contrast, the EMA included all of the drugs classified as gliflozin in its order.
Lawsuits Mount Against Janssen and Johnson & Johnson
Sometimes the only way to effect change is seeking redress in court. Major drug companies have marketed their wares to people living with Type-2 diabetes for a long time. Invokana and its derivatives might treat diabetes. However, Janssen, like every other drug company, has an obligation to carefully and exhaustively test their new drugs to determine their level of effectiveness when compared to the possible side effects. Janssen failed in this regard.
Janssen failed to on several fronts to meet its obligation of selling a safe and effective medication. Most of the lawsuits currently pending involve Janssen’s refusal and failure to warn prescribing physicians and their patients that taking this drug might lead to amputation. Additionally, Janssen failed to warn others that taking their medicine could lead to Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Diabetic Ketoacidosis is a serious medical condition which is fatal if left untreated.
In additional the claim of failure to warn, the plaintiffs advance additional legal claims. For example, the plaintiffs can argue that Janssen failed to test the medicine properly and also failed to manufacture it properly.
Canagliflozin Litigation Progress
The majority of cases filed against Janssen and Johnson & Johnson are pending in New Jersey Federal Court in a special, coordinated proceeding called a “Multi-District Litigation,” or MDL. MDL proceedings are similar to class action lawsuits in that the court consolidates numerous claims to be heard together all against the same defendants in an effort to conserve judicial resources. It is an efficient method of handling cases that have similar issues. The difference between an MDL and a class action is that MDL plaintiffs retain the opportunity to take their case to court individually instead of being bound by the collective result as a member of the class.
The New Jersey federal court is moving the cases along toward resolution. The court scheduled several status conferences with an eye towards bellwether trials starting in September of 2018. A bellwether trial is a case that features a plaintiff whose case is representative of all of the cases pending in the MDL. The parties will select a couple of them to take to trial, and the results could dictate what ultimately happens with all of the cases. Only time will tell.
Turn to Parker Waichman LLP for Representation for Your Invokana Claim
Our attorneys are committed to superior advocacy, and we are proud to have received honors from the legal community and beyond, including:
- A listing in Best Lawyers Publication
- 9.8 of 10.0 by AVVO.com
- Rated a “Preeminent Lawyers” by Martindale-Hubbell®
- The highest ranking of “5 Dragons,” by Lawdragon.com
You have a limited time to file a legal claim for damages. Invokana amputation lawsuits are highly complex cases. Our Invokana amputation settlement attorneys possess significant experience litigating complicated legal matters against large companies like Janssen and Johnson & Johnson. Furthermore, our firm has collected over $2 billion in damages for clients just like you and your family.
Call Parker Waichman LLP today at 1-800-YOUR-LAWYER (1-800-968-7529) or go online and fill out our client contact form in order to receive your complimentary case review. Time is of the essence.
