The FDA has recently confirmed a higher risk of foot and leg amputations with the diabetes medication Canagliflozin and this has led to a new Invokana amputation lawsuit.
The drugs Invokamet XR, Invokamet, and Invokana are all forms of Canagliflozin and have been tied to increased patient reports about severe risk of amputation after continued use.
Two knee amputees recently filed an Invokana amputation lawsuit, alleging that the manufacturer knew about the high risk of amputation and failed to warn the medical community or patients about the risk, instead promoting the drug as a safe way to manage diabetes. These SGLT-2 inhibitor medications come with a higher risk of amputation for the feet, toes and the legs.
The European Medicines Agency has already informed patients in that region about the high risk of these issues and many patients across the United States who have already been affected have considered filing an Invokana amputation lawsuit. The first of two recent forms of an Invokana amputation lawsuit was filed by an Alabama resident who began using Invokana in January 2015.
Ultimately in December of that year and the following January, that plaintiff had to undergo below knee and left foot amputations. The second complaint in the Invokana amputation lawsuit was filed by an Iowa resident who began using the medication in April 2015. He ultimately had to go through a below knee right leg amputation in December of that year.
Neither one of those patients are taking Invokana any longer. Each of these claims in the Invokana amputation lawsuit allege that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals previously concealed and continued to conceal their awareness of the unreasonable dangerous risks associated with lower limb amputations.
Many patients who have come forward after getting an amputation while taking Invokana have reported that they would not have taken this medication if they knew about the risks and could have made an informed decision about an appropriate alternative.
Invokana was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March 2013 for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes and was later approved by the European Medicines Agency in November 2013.
This has been one of the top-selling pharmaceutical drugs for Janssen and Johnson & Johnson despite the high risk of injury. In May 2017, the FDA issued a drug safety communication related to increased risk of foot and leg amputations based on two big clinical trials. New warnings were required to be added to the Invokana drug labels as a result of these discoveries by the Food and Drug Administration.
Those patients who are already taking Invokana may wish to discuss alternatives with their doctors.
If you’ve already had to have a leg amputated as a result of taking this medication, consult with the experienced attorneys at McDonald Worley today.
Disclaimer: McDonald Worley is not representing the plaintiff in this lawsuit.