People With Type 2 Diabetes May Be At Risk

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While the vast majority of medications that Americans take are both safe and effective, many people may be surprised to discover that certain drugs may not be as safe as they thought. Numerous products are marketed as treatments for diabetes, including Januvia (sitagliptin) and the combination pill Janumet, which contains the drug metformin. Unfortunately, the drugs, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. for type 2 diabetes, have reportedly caused serious health problems in some patients.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released an important safety alert about Januvia and Janumet. In that alert, the agency advised the public that it had revised the prescribing information for those medicines to indicate that it had received 88 reports of acute pancreatitis in people using the pills. A reported 66 percent of these patients were hospitalized. Two cases involved the severe form, hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis.

The FDA has asked the health care community to tell patients that persistent, severe abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back, which may or may not be accompanied by vomiting, is the hallmark symptom of acute pancreatitis. It also requested that patients promptly discontinue Januvia/ Janumet and contact their physician if persistent severe abdominal pain occurs. Pancreatitis can lead to life-threatening illness.

Certain attorneys have been fighting for the rights of people harmed by defective medicines and medical devices for over 20 years. They would like to help people who took Januvia or Janumet and suffered from acute pancreatitis.