Onglyza Lawsuits

The drug Onglyza is a popular Type-2 diabetes drug. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP manufactures the drug. The FDA approved the drug, also known as saxagliptin, in 2009. The drug has become a popular diabetes medication, but it also causes serious health complications. For example, studies show the drug causes an increased risk of heart failure, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer.

As a result, diabetes patients have filed hundreds of Onglyza lawsuits nationwide. Most plaintiffs argue that the drugmaker failed to warn them of the drug's dangerous side effects. Many others filed wrongful death lawsuits against AstraZeneca after their loved ones died.

Here, we'll discuss the Onglyza heart failure litigation. We'll also describe the drug's other dangerous side effects.

Onglyza Overview

Onglyza is a DPP-4 inhibitor used to help regulate blood sugar levels/blood glucose levels. It's not the only medication that works this way. Other drugs like alogliptin, metformin, and Kombiglyze XR also treat Type-2 diabetes. The difference is that these other drugs do not pose the severe side effects Onglyza poses.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Onglyza in 2009. Since its approval, Onglyza has become a critical product for AstraZeneca.

Doctors grew concerned after the FDA's SAVOR (Saxagliptin Assessment of Vascular Outcomes Recorded in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus) study found that patients who took Onglyza had a 27% greater risk of developing congestive heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.

In April 2015, the FDA recommended that drugmakers include a warning label indicating an increased risk for heart failure. The drug company ignored this advice.

Onglyza Lawsuits: Heart Failure

Researchers published the results of the SAVOR study in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013. By 2015, the FDA issued warnings about Onglyza's increased risk of heart failure. The FDA issued a drug safety communication recommending that the drugmakers add a warning about this risk to their packaging. AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb failed to take this advice.

Both drug companies continued to market Onglyza without the warnings. As a result, hundreds of patients sued the drug companies. The courts consolidated the cases, and Kentucky Judge Karen Caldwell oversaw the litigation.

The courts formed a second MDL case before Judge Anna-Christine Massullo in a California district court. In both MDLs, the judges granted summary judgment in favor of the defendant drugmakers.

The plaintiffs only had one expert witness, who relied on just one clinical trial in their testimony. The judges held this was insufficient and excluded the expert from testifying at trial.

The defendants filed motions for summary judgment, and the judges granted them. The MDL in both states is essentially dead.

In addition to the multi-district litigation in Kentucky and California, hundreds of plaintiffs filed suits in state courts. None of these class action lawsuits have settled as of 2023.

Onglyza Lawsuits: Pancreatic Cancer

In addition to heart failure, people who took other dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors similar to Onglyza also claim they developed pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer after taking these drugs.

Plaintiffs who believe their pancreatic cancer was due to taking Onglyza and other incretin mimetic drugs saw the courts consolidate their lawsuits into a California MDL. The plaintiffs' counsel named several drug manufacturers in the lawsuits.

The California judge overseeing the pancreatic cancer MDL granted a motion for summary judgment in favor of the drugmakers. The judge dismissed the litigation for the same reasons the Kentucky judge did. The judge found that there was a lack of expert evidence.

Contact an Attorney To Discuss Your Onglyza Claim

You may be eligible for damages if you or a loved one suffered adverse side effects after using Onglyza. Depending on the facts of your case, you may need to file a product liability or wrongful death lawsuit against the drugmakers, AstraZeneca and BMS.

An excellent first step is to contact an experienced dangerous drug attorney familiar with this issue and schedule your free case review. Whether you file a heart failure lawsuit or one for cancer of the pancreas, you will want a skilled injury lawyer by your side.

Most personal injury attorneys offer new clients a free case evaluation. This allows you to have an expert review your claim and help determine how best to proceed.