Why didn't Merck provide Januvia or Janumet patients with warnings? That's a question that many diabetics who developed pancreatitis or have an increased risk of developing pancreatitis, want answered – especially since Januvia injury lawyers say the company knew about it.
Januvia Warnings and Information
Januvia has been beneficial to patients with Type 2 diabetes because it helps to regulate patients’ blood sugar levels effectively. Type 2 diabetics are not insulin dependent, so the use of Januvia, their diet and exercise all work together to keep their blood sugar under control. Januvia helps to control the amount of insulin that the pancreas produces, but may contribute to the occurrence of a condition called acute pancreatitis.
Acute pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas is inflamed. The symptoms for this condition can include severe upper abdominal pain, chronic pain, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, fatigue, high or low blood pressure and increased heart or respiratory rates. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not issued a recall on the product, but, again, they have issued warnings to physicians and patients taking the medication.
However, the FDA has received over 80 claimed cases of acute pancreatitis in patients who were using Januvia. This has led the FDA to recommend that doctors closely monitor their patients who are using the drug – and patients to wonder what Merck knew about Januvia side effects.
What did Merck know about Januvia?
Most drug companies, Merck included, say that they didn't know that their drug would cause these side effects. They maintain that they've tested the drug and didn't see many more signs of, in this case, Januvia pancreatitis than would have been found in the general population.
However, Januvia attorneys say that the manufacturers of Byetta came out with warnings on their drug years before Januvia was on the market. Since there was a controversy over whether or not this family of drugs can cause Januvia pancreatitis, Merck should have been put on notice.
Januvia lawsuits: Did Merck rush Januvia to market?
Although Januvia lawsuits are just beginning, Januvia injury lawyers say that the liability will be more fully developed as discovery progresses. However, they say that one thing that is clear is that Merck was in a precarious situation when this drug came on the market as it had a huge liability hanging over their head because of the Vioxx litigation.
At the time, Vioxx had not settled and cases were still being tried. There were still talks in the media of 15, 20, 25 billion-dollar potential liability over Vioxx – which settled for approximately $5 billion. Merck also had several lucrative drugs that were coming off of patent and they were about to lose exclusivity on those.
So, in retrospect, Merck got Januvia approved and marketed years ahead of the industry average and many product liability lawyers say that it was rushed to market. When that happens, things fall by the wayside. They say that they'll find out in the ensuing time what Merck knew and when it knew about it, but there's no question that things were missed. Whether they were intentionally missed or negligently missed, time will tell.
Are drug companies putting profits over patients?
Januvia lawyers say that, in some cases, the answer to that is yes. In those cases where the drug company sometimes has knowledge or notice of an adverse reaction, they don't widely disseminate that information. Sometimes it's put in a label, but somewhere in the back of the label under an area called Adverse Effects. It's always a question of fact as to whether a label and the information that is dispensed to the medical profession is sufficient.
These are all drugs that you can only get by prescription. So, the manufacturer has a duty to warn the medical profession, who then is supposed to pass on the warnings to the users of the drug or the patients.
Januvia injury: You may be entitled to compensation
Have you or a family member been injured by Januvia side effects? If so, you may be able to obtain compensation by the product manufacturers. There may be other people who have also been injured by Januvia and who may have started Januvia lawsuits against the company. You are not alone. Januvia attorneys can analyze your situation and determine if you have a Januvia lawsuit.
Check out the following articles for more information about Januvia, filing a Januvia lawsuit and finding a Januvia attorney.