In the United States alone, nearly 30 million people have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes1. Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body regulates blood sugar. It can cause severe complications if left unchecked, such as heart disease, kidney damage, and worse.
That’s why so many people were excited when Merck & Co. announced that a breakthrough drug called sitagliptin could help regulate blood glucose with fewer side effects than existing type 2 diabetes medications. Merck combined this new drug sitagliptin with metformin to create Janumet.
It was quickly revealed that drugs containing sitagliptin did carry several side effects, including lactic acidosis, pancreatitis, and even cancer. As a result, hundreds filed lawsuits against Merck and other makers of similar type 2 diabetes medications.