SGLT2 inhibitor drug Invokana™ (canagliflozin) helps regulate blood sugar levels for type 2 diabetes patients. Invokana blocks blood sugar reabsorption within your kidneys. Then, you’ll excrete any excess sugar through urination. However, this process can cause severe health complications, including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) as well as blood clot-related injuries. Injured plaintiffs now accuse Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, of negligence. Lawyers say Janssen knew about the SGLT2 inhibitor’s significant risks and intentionally withheld key information from consumers as well as healthcare providers. In fact, the biggest Invokana study to date called CANVAS revealed the drug more than doubled foot, leg and toe amputation risks for enrolled patients. Still, no jury has yet awarded an Invokana settlement.

Many Claims Now Pending May Still Win an Invokana Settlement

The first plaintiffs filed against Janssen in 2015. To date, none have gone to trial or reached an out-of-court Invokana settlement. Hundreds of Invokana lawsuits are headed to court or have been recently consolidated into a multidistrict litigation, including:

• October 2015 – Allen vs. Janssen Pharmaceuticals et al, Case No. 15-1195
• December 2015 – Fleming vs. Janssen Pharmaceuticals et al, Case No. 2:15-cv-02799
• February 2016 – Adye vs. Janssen Pharmaceuticals et al, Case No. 3:16-cv-00107-JHM
• February 2016 – Furlow vs. Janssen Pharmaceuticals et al, Case No. 2:16-cv-01386
• March 2016 – Mullin vs. Janssen Pharmaceuticals et al, Case No. N16C-03-294 JAP

Each case currently seeking an Invokana settlement echoes similar injuries suffered by thousands of consumers across the U.S. Allegations consistently made in most claims include:

• Invokana wasn’t sufficiently tested for consumer safety before entering the market
• Janssen conducted inadequate post-marketing surveillance on Invokana
• Despite having safer alternative designs and formulations for Invokana, they weren’t utilized
• Invokana was defective from the very beginning
• Janssen often promoted Invokana for off-label uses, including (but not limited to): weight loss, reduced blood pressure, kidney benefits, and more
• Janssen either knew or should have reasonably known Invokana could cause kidney damage, diabetic ketoacidosis, and doubled toe, foot and lower limb amputation risks as well as other injuries
• The manufacturer actively deceived the public and concealed facts about Invokana
• Plaintiffs wouldn’t have taken Invokana if the manufacturer had properly disclosed its risks

Significantly, the Fleming claim states: “Defendants’ failure to warn about diabetic ketoacidosis is particularly detrimental to those taking the drug, because in many cases of INVOKANA induced ketoacidosis, the patient’s glucose levels are not elevated, as is typically the case. This phenomenon leaves diagnosing doctors in a quandary, and often leads to the ketoacidosis being missed and untreated.”

Current Invokana Settlement Climate: New Jersey MDL Centralizes 55 Cases

In December 2016, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) centralized 55 Invokana lawsuits for trial in New Jersey. The JMPL ordered consolidation due to the commonality of claims made in California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Minnesota. Federal Judge Brian R. Martinotti will preside over cases solely representing Invokana patient injuries. The MDL excludes 44 additional lawsuits involving similar SGLT2 inhibitor drugs such as Farxiga, Jardiance or Xigduo XR. Despite mounting evidence from studies in addition to injured patient allegations, J&J still markets Invokana for lowering blood sugar.

If either you or a loved one experienced serious health complications while taking Invokana, you may have a claim. To start your free, no-obligation claim review, click the button below now. Once you’ve submitted your information, an experienced lawyer will get in touch to discuss your compensation options.