Invokana: Diabetic drug has serious, newly-reported threat
When the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Invokana in 2013, TV commercials hailed it as a real boon. Its manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, claimed it was the first diabetic medication that could lower blood sugar, blood pressure and weight at the same time. While the ads listed Invokana’s side effects, they didn’t mention amputation.
By 2015, Invokana’s sales reached $1.31 billion, according to a May 18, 2017 article in Forbes. In 2017, the FDA slapped a Black Box warning on Invokana and sales of the drug plummeted. Black Box warnings are for drugs that have serious or life-threatening risks. Invokana’s belated Black Box warning alerted type 2 diabetics with recent amputations that the drug may have played a significant role in their surgeries.
Why did the FDA approve a drug that could cause amputations?
Invokana isn’t the first drug found to have a dangerous side effect after it received FDA approval. In 2014, researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine studied the FDA’s approval process and found wide variances in the way the federal agency operates. They declared that faith in drugs the FDA approves is “not necessarily justified.”
The FDA’s Black Box warning in 2017 included Invokana, Invokamet and Invokamet XR – brand names for canagliflozin – after two major clinical trials “showed that leg and foot amputations occurred about twice as often in patients on canagliflozin “compared to patients on a placebo. They also showed “amputations of the toe and middle of the foot were the most common.” But “some patients had more than one amputation” and “some amputations involved both limbs, including legs, below the knee.
Baby Boomers at most risk
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “more than 100 million” adults in the U.S. have diabetes or prediabetes. U.S. Census Bureau statistics show increasing rates of obesity and overweight, among Americans 65 and older. Obesity and overweight are main causes of type 2 diabetes. Given Invokana’s four-year reign as a top medication for type 2 diabetes, there could be scores of patients with amputations, who took the drug, believing they would enjoy significant improvements in their lives.
Lawsuits against Invokana justified
For decades, personal injury attorney Wyatt Wright has been successfully representing victims of corporate negligence. He is one of America’s top trial lawyers. His national legal awards are proof he gets results for victims of a company that puts profits before people. Clients only pay fees, agreed upon in advance, when Wyatt Wright wins their case. Calls and evaluations are free. If you are a type 2 diabetic amputee, who took Invokana, call St. Louis attorney Wyatt Wright about your legal rights.