SGLT-2 Inhibitors Lawsuit

While many people have used SGLT-2 inhibitors since the FDA first approved them, this class of drugs still causes negative side effects. First, it is important to note that not all drugs in this class are the same. 

Four major side effects have been reported by patients taking Invokana, Jardiance, and Farixga.

• Increased risk of amputation – Patients taking SGLT-2 inhibitors have required amputations of their lower extremities at nearly double the rate of people with diabetes who are not taking the drug. The FDA now requires a black box warning, the most severe category of warning that alerts consumers to the dangers of a medication.
• Kidney damage – In some cases, SGLT-2 inhibitors have been reported to cause kidney failure or partial loss of kidney function. While this complication is relatively rare, its effects are severe.
• Diabetic ketoacidosis – SGLT-2 inhibitors act to lower blood sugar. Sometimes, when the body cannot look to sugars and glucose as fuel, it will attempt to use fat for this purpose. This can result in the production of a harmful and toxic chemical in the body that can cause coma or death.
• Fournier Gangrene – A potentially life-threatening skin infection that affects the genital and perineal areas of the body can be caused by the SGLT2 inhibitors.

Individuals who used SGLT-2 inhibitors before the Food & Drug Administration warning, and experienced an injury, may be eligible to file a lawsuit. Victims are eligible to claim compensation for lost pay from missing work, pain and suffering, and medical bills. Due to the seriousness of these drugs’ harmful effects, the amount of compensation for pain and suffering can be large.

Many patients harmed by these medications manifested complications not long after starting the drug regimen. This class of drugs came to the scene after FDA approval was granted in 2013. Therefore, serious side effects may just now be showing up in some of the users, meaning more lawsuits will undoubtedly be filed.

One manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, has settled some Invokana lawsuits, but hundreds of other cases against its medication are still active in federal court. Injured individuals are also taking their lawsuits against the manufacturer to state court. Pennsylvania is a state where juries tend to make large financial awards to victims, and there are many lawsuits pending there.

Two other manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim, have multiple cases against them by patients who took Jardiance. The FDA failed to issue warnings on this drug until August 2018. Lawsuits are still being filed, and the ones already filed remain open, with none having been litigated or settled yet. Studies on Farxiga and Jardiance continue to produce findings that will likely lead to a growing number of new lawsuits, especially since the two drugs have swooped in to fill the market share formerly belonging to Invokana.

By 2018, Janssen had more than 1,000 lawsuits against it, stemming from Invokana injuries. The company’s headquarters is in New Jersey, where these cases have been consolidated in federal court in multidistrict litigation (MDL).

Johnson & Johnson settled most of the cases filed against it, with the total money amount not being disclosed. However, based upon other settlements with manufacturers of similar drugs, the dollar amount could be in the billions. The settlement involved setting up a fund to disburse compensation to victims injured by the medication. It is believed that the cases pending in California and Pennsylvania state courts will also be settled.