When Januvia was first approved to help those with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels, it ushered in a new class of drugs known as dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. Januvia and other DPP-4 inhibitors were touted as better alternatives to existing drugs on the market.
Within weeks of Januvia’s approval in 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began receiving reports that patients taking the drug were developing severe and sometimes lethal side effects, such as pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
Now, nearly a thousand lawsuits have been filed against drugmaker Merck & Co. and other manufacturers of similar type 2 diabetes drugs over claims that the companies concealed the risks from the public and made defective drugs.
Find out why so many people are filing Januvia lawsuits and how the drug has affected patients.