Byetta Lawsuit
If you have suffered a personal injury as a result of the dangerous drug Byetta, you may be eligble for compensation and should contact an attorney who specializes in product liability litigation and dangerous drug litigation against pharmaceutical companies. The potential for acute pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta has been acknowledged. Symptoms include persistent severe abdominal pain that can radiate to the back and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Acute pancreatitis is typically confirmed by the presence of elevated levels of serum amylase and/or lipase and characteristic findings by radiological imaging.
Byetta Update
On August 18, 2008 the FDA announced that since issuing Information for Healthcare Professionals in October 2007, FDA has received reports of 6 cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta. Byetta is a medicine given by subcutaneous injection to help treat adults with type 2 diabetes. Of the 6 cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis, all patients required hospitalization, two patients died and four patients were recovering at time of reporting. Byetta was discontinued in all 6 cases.
Byetta and other potentially suspect drugs should be promptly discontinued if pancreatitis is suspected. There are no known patient characteristics which determine when pancreatitis associated with Byetta will be complicated by the hemorrhagic or necrotizing forms of this condition. If pancreatitis is confirmed, initiate appropriate treatment and carefully monitor the patient until recovery. Byetta should not be restarted. Consider antidiabetic therapies other than Byetta in patients with a history of pancreatitis.
Byetta Background
Byetta is a medicine given by injection to help treat adults with type 2 diabetes. Commonly reported side effects of Byetta include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion and upper abdominal discomfort. However, the presence of unexplained, severe abdominal pain, with or without nausea and vomiting, raises the suspicion of acute pancreatitis, a potentially serious condition that requires prompt medical attention. Therefore, patients taking Byetta should promptly seek medical care if they experience unexplained severe abdominal pain with or without nausea and vomiting.
FDA has reviewed 30 postmarketing reports of acute pancreatitis in patients treated with Byetta. Twenty-seven of the 30 patients had at least one other risk factor for acute pancreatitis such as gallstones, severe hypertriglyceridemia, and alcohol use. In six patients the symptoms of pancreatitis began or worsened soon after the dose of Byetta was increased from 5 micrograms twice daily to 10 micrograms twice daily. Twenty-one patients were hospitalized. There were no reports of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis. However, five patients developed serious complications including dehydration and renal failure; suspected ileus; phlegmon; and ascites. Twenty-two of the 30 reports indicated that the patients improved after discontinuing Byetta.
Details in three reports indicated that the symptoms of acute pancreatitis returned when Byetta was restarted. Nausea and vomiting returned in two patients when Byetta was restarted. In a third patient, abdominal pain returned when Byetta was restarted and abated after Byetta was permanently discontinued.
