SGLT2 Diabetes Drugs

Type 2 Diabetes SGLT2 drugs may cause heart attack, stroke, diabetic ketoacidosis or kidney failure

The FDA has announced that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors used to treat type 2 diabetes may lead to serious side effects leading to hospitalization.  One of the side effects, diabetic ketoacidosis, occurs when the body produces high levels of ketones (blood acids). The metabolic imbalance of insulin already compromised by diabetes is made further dangerous by this excess acid.

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FDA WARNINGS

September 10, 2015: FDA has strengthened the warning for the type 2 diabetes medicine canagliflozin (Invokana, Invokamet) related to the increased risk of bone fractures, and added new information about decreased bone mineral density.

  • Bone fractures have been seen in patients taking the type 2 diabetes medicine canagliflozin.
  • Fractures can occur as early as 12 weeks after starting canagliflozin.
  • Canagliflozin has also been linked to decreases in bone mineral density at the hip and lower spine.
WHICH SGLT2 DRUGS MAY POSE A RISK?
  • Invokana – canagliflozin (Johnson & Johnson)
  • Farxiga – dapagliflozin (AstraZeneca)
  • Jardiance – empagliflozin (Lilly/Boehringer)
  • Invokamet – canagliflozin combined with metformin (Johnson & Johnson)
  • Xigduo XR – dapagliflozin combined with metformin (AstraZeneca)
  • Glyxambi – empagliflozin combined with linagliptin  (Lilly/Boehringer)
WHAT DANGEROUS SIDE EFFECTS SHOULD YOU BE AWARE OF?
  • Diabetic Ketoacidosis (which may cause nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain and can progress to brain swelling, coma, or death)
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Kidney Failure
  • Also breathing problems, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, confusion, fatigue and sleepiness.

 

Click here to view the latest Sheller, P.C. blog post on SGLT2 diabetes drugs

WHAT CAN I DO?

First, never discontinue a drug without first consulting your healthcare professional. Stopping suddenly may cause a serious health emergency.

If you have taken Invokana or any of the other SGLT2 inhibitors and experienced a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure or the symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis (what seems to be a severe case of the flu such as breathing problems, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, confusion, fatigue and sleepiness), call the national defective drug attorneys at Sheller, PC toll free 800-883-2299, or fill out the inquiry form at the bottom of this page. You may have a case against and eligible for compensation from the manufacturers of SGLT2 drugs for their alleged non-disclosure of the risks you have suffered from the drug.

The label of the drug does not include warnings of some of these life-threatening side effects.

DRUGS TO TREAT DIABETES

Drugs to treat diabetes are lucrative profit centers for pharmaceutical companies.

In 2013, the top ten diabetes drugs generated $28 billion in sales out of the $35 billion for all diabetes drugs. By 2017, one estimate puts the diabetes drug market at a staggering $55.3 billion worldwide with increasing sales.

Invokana was approved in 2013 for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Annual sales of the drug are, according to some reports, in just two years following approval expected to exceed $1.2 billion.

While drugs to treat conditions like diabetes can save lives, there must be high standards for the research, development, testing, and marketing for these drugs.

LINKS

The Top 10 Best Selling Diabetes Drugs of 2013, Fierce Pharma June 17, 2014 http://www.fiercepharma.com/special-reports/the-top-10-best-selling-diabetes-drugs-2013

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