Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
Byetta is an injectable therapy to improve blood sugar control in patients with Type II diabetes, which is most often prescribed for patients who have not been able to achieve adequate control on metformin and/or a sulfonylurea, two often prescribed diabetes medications that are taken orally. Byetta has been prescribed alone or in conjunction with other diabetes medicines.
Byetta has side effects that can be harmful. October 2007, the FDA first warned that Byetta may cause acute pancreatitis and reviewed 30 reports of pancreatitis. On August 18, 2008, the FDA announced that the Agency has received six new reports of patients developing severe hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis. All cases required hospitalization, with two patients dead and four still in recovery.
Byetta the trade name for exenatide, is the first in a new class of medicines known as incretin mimetics. The idea behind Byetta is that it improves a diabetes patient’s blood sugar by lowering both post-meal and fasting glucose levels. If effective, Byetta leads to better long-term control of the condition (as measured by hemoglobin A1C).
The scientific community seems split on this question. There is no doubt that some patients on Byetta have reported good results. Byetta appears less likely to cause hypoglycemia or dangerously low blood sugar compared to the other available drugs. Moreover, for those who are at risk for weight gain, patients on Byetta are less likely to gain weight than on other diabetes medications, at least initially after taking Byetta.
Since issuing Information for Healthcare Professionals in October 2007, FDA has received reports of 6 cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta. Byetta is a medicine given by subcutaneous injection to help treat adults with type 2 diabetes.
Of the 6 cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis, all patients required hospitalization, two patients died and four patients were recovering at time of reporting. Byetta was discontinued in all 6 cases. Click here to read more.
Byetta and other potentially suspect drugs should be promptly discontinued if pancreatitis is suspected.
If you or a family member has been injured medically because of the fault of someone else: by the use of dangerous drugs, bad products, or toxic injury etc then please contact the Fort Worth Texas Product Liability Attorney Dr. Shezad Malik. For a no obligation, free case analysis, please call 817-255-4001 or Contact Me Online.
What to Do If You Have a Pancreatic Injury from the Use of Byetta?
If you want to discuss your case with one of our Byetta lawyers, call us at 817 255 4001 for a free consultation on your potential Byetta lawsuit.