Experienced Product Liability Attorneys in New York City
Byetta (exenatide) is manufactured and distributed jointly by Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co. It is a diabetes drug which regulates blood sugar by stimulating the release of insulin when glucose levels become too high.
Byetta is associated with life-threatening cases of pancreatitis. In September 2007, the FDA alerted the public, patients and doctors that it had collected approximately thirty reports of patients suffering from side effects while using Byetta, including pancreatitis. This was in the form of a warning letter. The FDA stated it was monitoring the situation with the drug's manufacturers. From our past experience as attorneys in drug product liability litigation, we would classify this as a limited response with a weak approach to notifying patients to carefully watch for side effects of pancreatitis or other problems.
Following this warning, six adverse reactions since the October 2007 announcement were received, two of which were deaths. The FDA issued a follow-up warning in 2008.
FDA posts can be found at:
- Exenatide (marketed as Byetta) Information
- Information for Healthcare Professionals - Exenatide (marketed as Byetta)
With pancreatitis, the pancreas swells. Initial symptoms are often nausea, vomiting, increased breathing, changes in blood pressure and abdominal pain. Cases range from mild to severe, including the need for hospitalization. Severe cases have resulted in the need for surgery and death. Some cases are known as hemorrhagic pancreatitis or necrotizing pancreatitis.
We are obviously not doctors, and should you have medical questions, those are best addressed with a doctor.
If you have been injured by Byetta, you may Contact Us for more information
