Nesina belongs to a new class of diabetes drugs. The FDA is currently investigating the risk of pancreatic inflammation (pancreatitis), pancreatic cancer, and rhabdomyolysis.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Nesina induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or heart failure, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Nesina Side Effects
- Bile duct disease
- Bullous pemphigoid
- Gallbladder disease
- Heart failure
- Joint pain
- Pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis
- Rhabdomyolysis
FDA Evaluating Rhabdomyolysis Risk
The FDA is evaluating a potential signals of a serious risk and new safety information linking DPP4 diabetes drugs and rhabdomyolysis. This potentially life-threatening kidney side effect was identified by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) between April and June 2017.
Nesina and Heart Failure
In April 2016, the FDA warned that Nesina increases the risk of heart failure, especially for patients who already have heart disease or kidney problems. The warning was prompted by results of the SAVOR clinical trial, which linked saxagliptin to a 27% increased risk of heart failure. Click here to read more.
Any evidence linking diabetes medications with heart failure is concerning because type-2 diabetes itself is a risk-factor for heart disease, cardiovascular events, stroke, and death. The following clinical trials found that patients on DPP-4 inhibitors were more likely to be hospitalized with heart failure:
- EXAMINE: Study involving over 5,000 patients found that 3.9% of patients (109 people) on alogliptin were hospitalized with heart failure vs. 3.3% (89 patients) on a placebo.
- SAVOR-TIMI: Study involving 16,500 patients found a 27% increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients on Onglyza (saxagliptin) vs. a placebo (3.5% vs. 2.8%). A possible increase risk of all-cause mortality was also observed.
Diabetes and Heart Failure
People with diabetes are at least twice as likely to develop heart disease. At least 68% of people age 65 or older with diabetes die from some form of heart disease. This is why some experts are concerned about evidence linking diabetes medications with even higher rates of heart problems.
FDA Issues Joint Pain Warning
In August 2015, the FDA issued a warning that Nesina may cause severe, disabling joint pain. The warning was issued after the agency reviewed adverse events and found 33 reports of severe, disabling joint pain (arthralgia) associated with DPP-4 inhibitors since October 2006. Click here to read more.
Nesina and Pancreatic Cancer
Nesina and other “incretin mimetic” drugs treat type-2 diabetes by stimulating beta-cells in the pancreas to produce more insulin (a hormone that lowers blood-sugar levels). Studies of animals have shown that this can cause a low-level, “silent” chronic inflammation (pancreatitis). Pancreatitis itself can be deadly, but chronic pancreatitis increases the risk of pancreatic cancer.
In March 2013, the FDA addressed the issue of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer associated with Nesina in a Drug Safety Communication. After reviewing unpublished results from a study in which doctors examined the pancreases of patients who were taking an incretin mimetic, they found alarming evidence of safety risks, including:
“Increased risk of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, and pre-cancerous cellular changes called pancreatic duct metaplasia.”
Incretin Mimetic Drugs and Cancer
Several other drugs in the “incretin mimetic” class of diabetes drugs have been associated with pancreatic cancer. These drugs include Byetta (exenatide), Januvia (sitagliptin), Victoza (liraglutide), and more. In 2009, the FDA asked the manufacturer of Byetta to “explore a potential signal of a serious risk of thyroid cancer and pancreatic cancer.”
The journal Gastroenterology also published a study in February 2011 in which researchers looked through the FDA adverse event database and documented dozens of cases of cancer associated with Byetta and Januvia. Although these case reports do not prove that the drugs caused cancer, they are signals of a potential risk that must be investigated further.
Nesina Class Action Lawsuit
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm. However, our attorneys are not pursuing justice for our clients through a Nesina class action. Instead, we are filing individual lawsuits and only accepting cases involving severe pancreatic side effects of Nesina.
Do I have a Nesina Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Nesina induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by Nesina, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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