Viola Chapman, from Pennsylvania, used the popular new type 2 diabetes medication Onglyza, and within a year developed serious heart failure complications.
Chapman through a personal representative filed her personal injury and product liability lawsuit against Bristol-Myers Squibb, and AstraZeneca the drug manufacturers.
Chapman used Onglyza, and the combination treatment Kombiglyze XR (containing Onglyza and Metformin), and developed serious heart failure side effects.
What is Onglyza?
Onglyza (saxagliptin) is made by AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb and was released in 2009 for treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Onglyza belongs to a new class of diabetic drugs known as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors.
Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors are oral antidiabetes medications that help control blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes patients. They block the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase 4 and regulate the levels of insulin the body produces after a meal.
Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibition results in increased activity of incretins, which blocks glucagon release. This leads to increased insulin release, slows gastric emptying and reduces blood sugar levels.
Recently medical experts have raised concerns about the Onglyza increased heart failure risks, prompting the FDA to issue stronger warnings in April 2016.
What is Heart Failure?
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood through to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. Basically, the heart can’t keep up with its workload.
Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure, although sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably. Read more here about the types of heart failure.
There are many causes of heart failure in diabetic patients, the four key factors include coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetic cardiomyopathy (heart muscle weakness), and extra fluid volume.
Critical Medical Study
Although the FDA approved the new diabetic drug Onglyza, it had reservations about the Onglyza clinical trials and ordered AstraZeneca to perform a post-marketing study looking at cardiovascular safety criteria.
AstraZeneca completed a 16,000-patient cardiovascular outcomes trial called SAVOR. The results of that trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and raised major Onglyza heart safety concerns.
Federal Multidistrict Litigation
Over the past two years, several Onglyza heart failure lawsuits have been filed. On February 2, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated and centralized all federal Onglyza injury cases in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, as part of a federal MDL, or multidistrict litigation.
If you or a loved one has taken Onglyza and suffered heart failure and/or death, you may have an injury claim against AstraZeneca. To learn more about your legal rights, call Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm at 888-210-9693 for a free case review. Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm is based in Dallas, Texas and is investigating and accepting Onglyza Heart Failure injuries nationwide.
Read more about Onglyza here
Shezad Malik is an Internal Medicine and Cardiology specialist, a Texas Medical Doctor (retired) and Defective Medical Device and Dangerous Drug Attorney. Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm has offices based in Fort Worth and Dallas and represents people who have suffered catastrophic and serious personal injuries including wrongful death, caused by the negligence or recklessness of others.
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