Januvia is the marketed name of sitagliptin, an oral antihyperglycemic drug used to manage Type 2 diabetes. Januvia is a prescription drug used in incretin therapy, which signals the pancreas to create more insulin and decrease the sugar made by the liver. It was approved in 2006 and is one of the most popular Type 2 diabetes drugs on the market. However, some studies of the drug have shown rare and severe side effects, including acute pancreatitis, severe joint pain, thyroid cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

In clinical trials of the drug, researchers initially reported the most common side effects that happened in 5% or more of patients taking Januvia included the common cold, respiratory tract infections, and headaches. However, only later did scientists begin to look closer at the side effects, when more patients reported serious issues, such as pancreatic cancer.

In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received almost 200 reports of acute and chronic pancreatitis linked to Januvia, and in 2013, the agency announced it was gathering more data on the link to possible pancreatic cancer. A couple of months later, the FDA concluded there was no cause for concern with safety risks in a newer study linking Januvia to pancreatitis, but the review was ongoing.

Those who have developed pancreatic cancer, developed pancreatic tumors, which can grow without symptoms and might not be detected until the cancer reaches a later stage. Those taking Januvia have more than double the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to one UCLA study. That risk increases the longer a patient takes the drug.

If you think you’ve developed pancreatic cancer as a result of taking Januvia, give our skilled San Francisco defective pharmaceutical lawyers a call. Kaiser Gornick LLP has more than 50 years of combined legal experience to offer your case. Our lawyers have won hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our past clients. Let us see how we can help you recover compensation for your injury.

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