Louisiana Family Files a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Invokana

A Louisiana family contacts wrongful death lawyer and files a wrongful death lawsuit against the drug Invokana. The family claims that Invokana’s side effects caused their mother to suffer heart attacks, kidney damage and a stroke that ultimately led to her death. Invokana isn’t just a Louisiana problem, it could happen anywhere, even in Provo, Utah.

Ivokana is a drug for adults with type two diabetes. The drug lowers blood sugar levels and helps the kidneys get rid of glucose in the bloodstream. Some of the side effects include light headedness, pain while urinating, genitalia infection, high potassium, ketoacidosis, kidney problems and dehydration symptoms. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, Provo or elsewhere, these side effects don’t sound fun.

While Johnson & Johnson warns about these side effects, the Jackson family and their lawyer claim that the drug company withheld critical information about the risks involved with taking Invokana. The Jacksons claim that Johnson & Johnson put profits before the safety of drug users.

Johnson & Johnson launched Invokana in March of 2013, as a new drug for diabetes called, sodium-glucose cotransporter two. Since then, Johnson & Johnson markets Invokana as the most superior drug for type two diabetes. They didn’t know they’d be facing a wrongful death lawsuit only two years later.

In May of 2015, the FDA began investigating Invokana and its connection to ketoacidosis. At the time, some 20 Ivokana users were hospitalized with ketoacidosis injuries. The FDA added a warning about ketoacidosis to Ivokana’s label, urging people to stop taking Ivokana if they start seeing signs of ketoacidosis: abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea, breathing problems or vomiting. From Provo to the East Coast, this FDA release was enough to make users nervous about the drug.

The latest FDA update about Invokana in May 2016, during this wrongful death lawsuit, was an issued safety alert about the drug. There is a clinical trial that is finding an increase in foot and leg amputations in people using Invokana. There still isn’t enough data to support this amputation increase in Invokana users, but the FDA is warning about this side effect while clinical trials continue.

As discovery about Invokana’s side effects broadens, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a lawyer to figure out that Invokana may not be the impressive drug that Johnson & Johnson made it out to be. You might be a Provo resident using Invokana, but you shouldn’t stop taking the drug if doctors have prescribed it to you. It’s still too early to condemn the drug, but if you have type two diabetes be careful and don’t be afraid to contact a lawyer if things go south. 

Joshua Valdivia is a legal writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Robert J Debry. Follow on Twitter.