Johnson & Johnson Needs To Do More To Alert Diabetics of The Flesh Eating Disease Caused By Invokana

Diabetes Drug Infection Lawsuit News

Caregivers of diabetic patients taking SGLT -2 type inhibitor drugs should be watchful for signs of the flesh-eating disease

Friday, June 28, 2019 - I would venture to guess that not a single ordinary person out of 100 would have ever heard of a disease called Fournier's Gangrene let alone know that it is necrosis of the flesh caused by taking a certain type of diabetes drug (Invokana). Fournier's Gangrene is similar to the popular flesh-eating disease that we read and hear about every week, with the exception of the location on the body where it occurs. Fournier's gangrene is a rare yet deadly infection that requires treatment with tissue removal (surgical debridement) as well as the threat of amputation and intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics. Fournier's patients normally spend about 3 months hospitalized and less than 50% of Fournier's patients ever make it home.

Because even the medical community knows so little about Fournier's Gangrene, the disease may be more prolific than the 55 or so cases that have been identified by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as being linked to diabetics. Fournier's Gangrene often begins with testicular pain and swelling and diabetic patients should be alerted that this could be the start of a terrible ordeal if Fournier's Gangrene is not immediately identified and treated. The disease will cause the unmistakable smell of rotting tissue initially, and then rapidly spread to engulf most of the perineum, the area between the anus and testicles, of the body within a few days or weeks. Diabetes drug infection lawyers representing American families offer a no obligation free consultation before filing a lawsuit claim.

On August 29, 2018, the FDA issued a warning pertaining to a serious infection (Fournier's Gangrene) that was affecting diabetic patients that take SGLT2 inhibitor drugs. The FDA insisted that drug companies update the package warning labels, prescription information, and patient medical guides including their websites, to reflect their findings. Canagliflozin, a.k.a. Invokana, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, is the most popular SGLT2 drug prescribed to treat Type 2 diabetes. Canagliflozin is a sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor which redirects glucose directly to the urine to be expelled as waste.

Invokana.com has posted a most ominous warning on its website, yet buried the verbiage on the lower portion of the page so as not to attract attention. The Invokana product warning for Fournier's Gangrene reads as follows:

"A rare but serious bacterial infection that destroys the tissue under the skin (necrotizing fasciitis) in the area between and around the anus and genitals (perineum). Necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum has happened in women and men who take INVOKANA or INVOKAMET/INVOKAMET XR. Necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum may lead to hospitalization, may require multiple surgeries to remove affected tissues, and may lead to death. Seek medical attention immediately if you have a fever or you are feeling very weak, tired, or uncomfortable (malaise) and you develop any of the following symptoms in the area between and around your anus and genitals: pain or tenderness, swelling, or redness of the skin (erythema)."

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Lawyers for Fournier's Gangrene

OnderLaw, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. The Onder Law Firm has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm has won more than $300 million in four talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis. Law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.