Is My Diabetes Medication Safe?

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, diabetes drugs such as Januvia, Byetta, and Victoza have been linked to thousands of deaths and hospitalizations over the last decade.

Because of this, the newspaper, in a study with MedPage, reviewed diabetes medications using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s reporting system, finding that the system provides little information about risks to the public.

According to the Journal Sentinel, “[the FDA] has approved dozens of drugs based on surrogate measures, such as tests that lower blood-sugar levels, rather than hard endpoints such as reducing heart attacks, strokes, blindness, or amputations.”

The newspaper claimed that this is leaving healthcare providers questioning treatment options, as there is little documentation about potential drug harms.

“I think most doctors don’t fully understand that the recent drugs approved for diabetes haven’t been proven to reduce organ failure and might actually carry risks,” Jerry Avorn, MD, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told the Journal Sentinel.

The newspaper said an analysis from 2004 through March 2014 found about 3,300 deaths and 20,000 hospitalizations linked to diabetes drugs. The drugs with the most problems were Sitagliptin (Januvia), Exenatide (Byetta), and Liraglutide (Victoza). These three drugs make up only 7 percent of the diabetes drug marketplace, but accounted for more than half of the deaths and hospitalizations linked to diabetic medication last year.

Speaking to an Attorney about a Dangerous Diabetes Drug

The defective drug attorneys at the law firm of Zoll & Kranz, LLC represent victims of dangerous diabetes medications.

If you have sustained a serious injury or a loved one has suffered wrongful death from a hazardous product, we can investigate your case to determine if you may be entitled to damages.

Zoll & Kranz, LLC – Defective Medical Drug and Device Lawyers

Source: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Diabetes/49221