Byetta®
BYETTA® (EXENATIDE) RECALL ALERT — Pancreatitis, Pancreatic Cancer
Byetta® Linked to Acute Pancreatitis
Byetta® (exenatide) manufactured and marketed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co. is an injectable drug used by more than 700,000 patients with type 2 diabetes since its launch in June 2005. Byetta® is in a class of drugs called incretin mimetics. Designed to induce the same effects as a blood sugar-improving hormone called GLP-1, incretin mimetics imitate the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a hormone that is a key regulator of blood sugar. GLP-1 class drugs stimulate the release of insulin only when glucose levels become too high.
FDA ALERTS
The FDA first issued a request for an additional warning on Byetta’s® label in October 2007 after 30 cases were reported of pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, a gland that secretes enzymes into the small intestine to aid in digesting fats, proteins and carbohydrates in food, and releases insulin into the bloodstream to help the body convert glucose from food into energy.
The FDA issued an update in August 2008. The call for stronger warnings comes just ten months after the FDA issued an earlier Safety Alert warning of the risk of acute pancreatitis associated with Byetta and requesting information about acute pancreatitis be added to the product labeling. For more information on the FDA alerts:
Symptoms of Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis is the swelling of the pancreas that can result in nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain. Although dependent of the severity of the pancreatitis, treatment requires hospitalization with pain management and fluid and electrolyte stabilization. In severe cases, treatment may require surgery or other invasive measures.
The following are symptoms associated with pancreatitis. If you believe you have any of the following symptoms, please contact your health care professional.
- Sudden pain, sometimes severe, in the upper abdomen. Pain may radiate to the back or chest.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fever
- Swollen abdomen, with tenderness
- Rapid pulse
What should you do?
If you are using Byetta® and you have experienced severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, or hypoglycemia, you should consult your prescribing physician as soon as possible.
Should you contact an attorney?
If you or a loved one have used Byetta® and have been diagnosed with an inflamed pancreas or pancreatitis while using Byetta®, or your loved one has died while using Byetta®, you should contact an attorney immediately for review of a potential claim against the manufacturer. Statutes of limitation, which are deadlines set by state law, regulate the filing of lawsuits, and they vary from state to state. If the statute of limitations in your state expires, your right to pursue a claim against the manufacturer may be forever barred. If you or a loved one was harmed by Byetta, you should not delay in contacting an attorney.
Who should I call?
Call Tim Edwards and Ed Wallis at (901) 527-4673, fill out the evaluation form below, or send us an e-mail by clicking HERE. We will provide you a case evaluation and discuss steps you may be able to take to address your concerns.
Experience and Dedication.
Our firm has over thirty years experience helping injured persons, and we have the dedication to try and help you. We provide our e-mail, work telephone and cellular telephone numbers to our clients so they have access to us day or night, weekday or weekend. We invite you to call us to discuss your case, and let us talk with you on how we can try and help.
For More Information
Tim Edwards
Ed Wallis
Glassman, Edwards, Wade & Wyatt, P.C.
26 N. 2nd Street
Memphis, TN 38103
Telephone: (901) 527-2125
E-Mail: CLICK HERE
The authors practice across the State of Tennessee and associate with attorneys across the nation to help achieve justice for our clients. Although not limited to these areas, the authors, Tim Edwards and Ed Wallis, do practice in the Mid South and Metropolitan Memphis area, an area encompassing Western Tennessee, Eastern Arkansas and Northern Mississippi. Some cities covered in our wide range of practice include Memphis (TN), Cordova (TN), Bartlett (TN), Collerville (TN), Millington (TN), Covington (TN), Somerville (TN), Ripley (TN), Dyersburg (TN), Tiptonville (TN), Union City (TN), Dresden (TN), Humboldt (TN), Milan (TN), Trenton (TN), Alamo (TN), Brownsville (TN), Jackson (TN), Bolivar (TN), Henderson (TN), Lexington (TN), Selmer (TN), Savannah (TN), Parsons (TN), McKenzie (TN), Huntingdon (TN), Paris (TN), West Memphis (AR), Marion (AR), Southhaven (MS), Olive Branch (MS), Hernando (MS), Horn Lake (MS), and Senatobia (MS). This also includes the following counties: SHelby (TN), Tipton (TN), Lauderdale (TN), Dyer (TN), Lake (TN), Obion (TN), Gibson (TN) Crockett (TN), Haywood (TN), Fayette (TN), Hardeman (TN), Madison (TN) Henderson (TN), Carroll (TN), HHenry (TN), Benton (TN), Chester (TN), Decatur (TN), McNairy (TN), Hardin (TN) Perry (TN), Tunica (MS), Desoto (MS), Tate (MS), Marshall (MS), Lafayette (MS), Crittendon (AR), Mississippi (AR), Poinsett (AR), Craighead (AR), Cross (AR), St. Francis (AR), Lee (AR), Phillips (AR).
The authors also accept free case evaluations to persons across the state of Tennessee, including Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Johnson City, Bristol, Kingsport, Lebanon, Clarksville and beyond.
Even if you live outside the State of Tennessee and Mid South, we may still be able to help, so please contact us today, as our attorneys are licensed in numerous state courts and federal courts, and can still by associating with counsel across the country to help you with your needs.
