Byetta (exenatide) is an injectable type-2 diabetes medication that has been linked to an increased risk of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). The FDA published warnings in 2007 and 2008 after dozens of adverse events and 2 deaths were linked to Byetta and pancreatitis. A recent study has also linked Byetta to a doubled risk of pancreatitis.
Do I Have a Texas Byetta Lawsuit? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one was injured by Byetta, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a Byetta pancreatitis lawsuit in Texas.
UPDATE: Byetta Linked to Doubled Risk of Pancreatitis
February 26, 2013 – Study published in JAMA Internal Medicine links Januvia (sitagliptin), Byetta (exenatide), and other GLP-1 diabetes drugs to a doubled risk of pancreatitis. Click here to read more.
Byetta and Pancreatitis
Byetta (exenatide) an anti-diabetic drug that comes in a pre-loaded injection pen. It delivers a drug that treats diabetes by stimulating the pancreas to secrete insulin, a hormone that lowers blood-sugar levels.
It is unknown if Byetta causes pancreatitis. Diabetes itself is a risk factor for pancreatitis. However, Byetta patients who suffer unexplained, severe abdominal pain (with or without vomiting) should be evaluated for acute pancreatitis — sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Dozens of Byetta patients have reported suffering from pancreatitis, including the most life-threatening forms of the disease:
- Hemorrhagic pancreatitis: Bleeding in the pancreas
- Necrotizing pancreatitis: Characterized by tissue death, potential infection, may require surgical removal of pancreatic tissue, with life-threatening complications.
Individuals who are diagnosed with pancreatitis almost always require hospitalization. Treatment typically involves fasting (not eating anything) to give the inflamed pancreas time to recover. If the inflammation does not go down, there is a serious risk of bleeding, tissue death, infection, sepsis, and death.
FDA Safety Warning for Byetta and Pancreatitis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a Safety Warning about the risk of Byetta and pancreatitis in October 2007. They received 30 reports of acute pancreatitis.
The warning was updated in August 2008, after the FDA received 6 reports of severe, life-threatening hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta after October 2007. Of the 6 cases, all patients required hospitalization, 2 patients died, and 4 recovered after discontinuing Byetta.
The FDA warned:
“[Byetta] should be promptly discontinued if pancreatitis is suspected. There are no signs or symptoms that distinguish acute hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis associated with Byetta from the less severe form of pancreatitis.”
Journal Forced to Withdraw Study Linking Byetta to Pancreatitis
April 11, 2011 — Under pressure from drug-makers Eli Lilly and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, the journal Gasteroenterology has been forced to withdraw a study linking Byetta to an 11.8-fold increased risk of pancreatitis and several cancers.
After the paper was published online, the companies wrote letters to Anil Rustgi, the journal’s editor in chief, to express concern that the analysis, which used data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adverse event reporting system, reached “unjustified” conclusions that could “spark an unnecessary health scare.”
Signs & Symptoms of Pancreatitis
The “hallmark” symptom of pancreatitis is persistent severe abdominal pain, which may be accompanied by vomiting or other complications. These symptoms are indistinguishable from life-threatening forms of pancreatitis. Byetta patients with the following symptoms should be evaluated by a medical professional:
- Upper abdominal pain
- Pain that radiates into the back
- Swollen and/or tender abdomen
- Nausea, vomiting
- Indigestion
- Fever
- Increased heart rate
- And more
Do I have a Byetta Lawsuit in Texas?
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