Victoza – Diabetes Drug Linked to Pancreatic Cancer

The Type 2 diabetes drug Victoza has been shown to help control blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes patients, and may even provide a weight loss benefit, but hundreds of lawsuits have been brought against Victoza maker Novo Nordisk by former Victoza users and their loved ones, alleging that the diabetes drug increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, pancreatitis and other side effects. If you have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, or if you lost a loved one to pancreatic cancer, and you believe Victoza to be the cause, contact an experienced product liability lawyer today for legal help. You may have grounds to file a Victoza lawsuit against Novo Nordisk to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other damages.

Saxenda and Victoza Linked to Pancreatic Cancer

Victoza Lawsuit Information

Victoza users diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, pancreatitis or another serious side effect allegedly caused by the diabetes drug have a right to hold Novo Nordisk responsible for their injuries and pursue compensation for damages like lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering. Pancreatic cancer in particular is an aggressive cancer with a high mortality rate, and patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after taking Victoza may have grounds to file a product liability lawsuit against the drug maker. Novo Nordisk and other manufacturers of incretin mimetic drugs like Victoza, Januvia and Byetta already face more than 1,000 lawsuits filed in courts across the country, alleging pancreatic cancer and other potential side effects from the controversial diabetes medications. Most incretin mimetic claims filed in federal courts were consolidated in California for coordinated pretrial proceedings as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL).

Reasons to Bring About Victoza Litigation

• Victoza was defectively designed or manufactured
• Novo Nordisk knew or should have known that Victoza could cause pancreatic cancer
• The public was not adequately warned about this potential risk
• Novo Nordisk failed to conduct adequate testing of the diabetes drug before bringing it to market

“In the years since Victoza was approved, the diabetes drug has been linked to devastating side effects like pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer many times over. “

What is Victoza?

Victoza (liraglutide) is a prescription injectable medication manufactured by Novo Nordisk and approved by the FDA in 2010, as an adjunct to diet and exercise, to control blood sugar in adults with Type 2 diabetes. Victoza, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, belongs to a class of widely-used drugs known as incretin mimetics, which work by mimicking incretin hormones in the small intestine, binding to GLP-1 receptors and stimulating insulin production by the pancreas, thereby reducing blood sugar. Additionally, when taken in high doses (three milligrams), Victoza has been shown to help with weight loss, which is what led Novo Nordisk to develop Saxenda, a liraglutide-based injectable medication marketed as a weight loss remedy for clinical obesity. Saxenda is basically just a higher dose of Victoza and therefore poses the same potential risk of pancreatic cancer.

How a Victoza Lawsuit Could Help

• Medical bills
• Future medical costs
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Permanent disability
• Wrongful death

History of Victoza

In the years since Victoza was approved, the diabetes drug has been linked to devastating side effects like pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer many times over. In 2007, seven years after Victoza first entered the market, the FDA issued a warning about the potential risk of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, in patients taking incretin mimetics, and required the makers of these drugs to include a pancreatitis notice in their product information and warnings. In the years since, numerous studies have examined the potential connection between incretin mimetic drugs and potentially life-threatening side effects, like pancreatic cancer, and Victoza users have reported to the FDA adverse side effects of the diabetes drug. In fact, between 2010 and 2014, Victoza was named as the suspected cause of more than 3,000 hospitalizations and 348 deaths, at least 100 of which were the result of pancreatic cancer.

At the time the FDA approved Victoza, the agency warned of certain safety concerns, including “Clinical trials that suggested Victoza may be associated with pancreatitis,” and “Animal data that showed a rare type of thyroid cancer known as medullary thyroid cancer associated with liraglutide […].” Years later, in a June 2017 Briefing Document from an FDA Advisory Committee meeting, the agency indicated that “Longer follow-up [e.g., 10 years] is recommended to further characterize the relationship between GLP-1 RAs [e.g., Victoza, Januvia, Byetta] and the development of pancreatic cancer.” Despite these potential risks, while the FDA has required the makers of Victoza and other incretin mimetics to include a warning

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