Cases for Byetta and Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis

The Byetta lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are reviewing potential lawsuits for individuals throughout the United States who have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer following use of the popular diabetes drug.

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Saiontz & Kirk, PA, Attorneys & Lawyers, Baltimore, MD

Studies have suggested that Byetta side effects may increase the risk of thyroid cancer, yet the drug makers to have failed to provide adequate warnings for users or the medical community, placing their desire for profits before consumer safety. Therefore, financial compensation may be available through a Byetta thyroid cancer lawsuit for individuals who have experienced problems.

Lawsuits are also being reviewed for individuals diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from Byetta. To review a potential case for yourself, a friend or a family member who has been diagnosed with cancer, request a free consultation and claim evaluation.

Byetta Thyroid Cancer Side Effects

Byetta (exenatide) is a type 2 diabetes drug sold by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly & Co., which is part of a class of medications known as incretin mimetics.

Although Amylin and Eli Lilly knew or should have known about the potential link between side effects of Byetta and thyroid cancer, they failed to provide proper warnings about the risk or the importance of monitoring for the first signs of changes within the thyroid for individuals using Byetta.

Information about the thyroid cancer risk associated with other similar diabetes drugs has been ignored.

When the FDA approved the competing GLP-1 diabetes drug Victoza in 2010, a “black box” warning was placed on the medication to provide information about reports of thyroid C-cell tumors seen among rodents during studies. The maker of Victoza was also ordered to conduct additional studies to evaluate the potenital thyroid cancer risk in humans.

Although Victoza and Byetta act in similar methods, Amylin and Eli Lilly failed to provide similar warnings about a risk of thyroid tumors, including mendullary thyroid cancer.

In January 2012, a long-acting version of Byetta was introduced by Amylin under the brand name Bydureon. When obtaining approval to market this new version of the drug, the manufacturer did agree to place a “black box” warning about thyroid cancer on Bydureon.

Although Byetta and Bydureon contain the same active pharmaceutical ingredient, Amylin has failed to provide the same warnings for users of Byetta and has wholly ignored the risk of thyroid cancer with Byetta.

According to a study published in the medical journal Gastroenterology in February 2011, researchers identified a 4.73-fold greater event rate for thyroid cancer among patients treated with Byetta compared to other therapies. The association between Byetta and thyroid cancer was statistically significant according to the findings.

Byetta Lawsuit Allegations Over Thyroid Cancer

Even if warnings had been provided about the risk of thyroid cancer, strong arguments exist that Byetta would have been unreasonably dangerous, as there are other treatments available for diabetes. Many complaints filed in courts throughout the United States allege that a Byetta recall should have been issued due to the risk of thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer and other injuries associated with side effects of Byetta.

According to allegations raised in Byetta lawsuits filed by individuals diagnosed with thyroid cancer, the drug maker:

  • Failed to adequately warn about the thyroid cancer side effects with Byetta Pen use, as there was no mention about the risk of thyroid tumors on the label or product insert;
  • Failed to advise physicians about the importance of monitoring for first signs of changes to the thyroid, which may have allowed individuals to avoid developing cancer;
  • Failed to sufficiently test the Byetta diabetes pen, with only a small clinical trial involving only short-term treatment as the basis for approval of the medication;
  • Failed to recall Byetta after it became apparent that the risks outweigh the benefits provided over other diabetes medications, if any.

Byetta Thyroid Cancer Lawyers

The product liability lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are providing free consultations and claim evaluations for individuals diagnosed with thyroid cancer following use of Byetta. Potential lawsuits are also being investigated for individuals diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

All Byetta lawsuits are pursued on a contingency fee basis, which means that there are no out of pocket expenses to hire our law firm, and there are no fees or expenses charged unless we are successful obtaining a recovery.

Every case does have a deadline, known as a statute of limitations, which requires that any lawsuit be filed within a certain amount of time. Therefore, it is important to take steps to review any potential case as early as possible following a diagnosis of thyroid cancer from Byetta.

CONTACT OUR LAWYERS ABOUT A BYETTA THYROID CANCER