INVOKANA LAWSUITS AND THE RISK OF AMPUTATION

If you have type 2 diabetes, then your doctor may have prescribed Invokana (canagliflozin) or Invokamet (canagliflozin with metformin) to help you manage your glucose levels. But did you know that Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the maker of these drugs, never fully tested the long term effects on patients? Now thousands are suffering from amputations of the toe, foot or leg (and some have even had multiple amputations).

WHAT THEY KNEW

“There is absolutely an increased risk of amputation with canagliflozin,” according to that trial, Mahaffey said. Even so, he said, “We have to put the risk of amputations in perspective with the clear benefits we are seeing”.

While Janssen Pharmaceuticals tested their drug to measure glucose levels, they failed to fully monitor the painful effects that could put patients in harm’s way. This is important to know because canagliflozin is a newer drug that worked in a completely different way than previous diabetes medications (it blocks glucose absorption that takes place in the kidneys and releases the excess glucose through the urine).

WHEN THEY KNEW IT

Invokana was approved by the FDA in March 2013. By June 2015, the European Medicines Agency (which is similar to our FDA) started to evaluate the risk of canagliflozin due to the high number of complaints they were receiving. This was almost a full two years before the FDA put out a safety communication warning patients and doctors of the increased potential for amputations.

Millions of patients took Invokana and Invokamet, and hundreds of thousands have experienced painful, life-altering injuries even after many complaints were filed. Brenda Lozano of Texas took Invokana for a little over two years and suffered severe kidney damage which later resulted in a stroke. Brenda has accumulated expensive medical bills and she now has to live with the lifelong physical complications of her injuries.

Polley Dailey of Kentucky took Invokana for just over a year and then had to endure the amputation of her right leg. Brenda, Polley and many others are taking Janssen Pharmaceuticals to court because: 1. the new medication was never fully tested resulting in patients being the guinea pigs and 2. patients and doctors weren’t warned of the true extent of the risks involved with these medications. Janssen Pharmaceuticals misrepresented their drug as a safe option when they fully knew the potential harm that patients might experience.

In fact, in December 2017, over 990 Invokana cases had been consolidated in multidistrict litigation (MDL) in New Jersey. While this number may seem low, who knows how many Polleys or Brendas are out there?

CAN I MAKE A CLAIM?

Did you take Invokana or Invokamet and suffered from an amputation? You may be able to make a claim if you meet the following qualifications:

• You started taking Invokana after March 2013 OR
• You started taking Invokamet after August 2014
• You or a loved one experienced an amputation (or multiple amputations) involving toes, a foot or a leg.

Maybe you (or someone you know) have endured this horrible situation and now you have overwhelming medical bills, costly medications and you’ve lost time at work. Janssen Pharmaceuticals should have tested their medications thoroughly before putting it on the market to ensure that it was safe for patients and they should have told doctors and patients of the increased risk for amputations. Contact us today to see if we’re able to help you get the compensation that you deserve.

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