Product News and Recalls

L.A. Court Grants Motion to Unseal Images from Byetta Study

byetta study images to be unsealedThe Superior Court of California for the District of Los Angeles has granted Byetta plaintiffs’ motion to unseal images from a 273-day monkey study conducted by Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca. According to a court document, the ruling was made at a July 9 status conference.

Byetta is a widely prescribed type 2 diabetes medication belonging to the incretin mimetic class of drugs. Despite its popularity, Byetta has been the subject of much medical and legal scrutiny. In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began receiving reports of hemorrhagic and necrotizing pancreatitis in patients who took Byetta to treat type 2 diabetes. In 2013, the FDA began investigating Byetta and other incretin mimetic drugs for links to increased risk of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. In August 2013, Byetta lawsuits were centralized in a multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, along with similar lawsuits concerning the drugs Januvia, Janumet, and Victoza. By the end of 2014, nearly 600 Byetta lawsuits had been filed as part of the multidistrict litigation.

The newly publicized images will allow plaintiffs in Byetta lawsuits direct access to data touted in Amylin-sponsored publications. According to the Court, the public interest in access to the sealed images outweighed “whatever proprietary business rights the defendant Amylin may have previously had to the non-disclosure of this information.” Further, the Court stated it was unable to make the findings that would have been necessary to keep the images sealed.

If you or a loved one was diagnosed with pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer after taking an incretin mimetic like Byetta, contact Lopez McHugh to schedule a free consultation with one of our Byetta lawyers. Lopez McHugh lawyers can help you determine if a Byetta lawsuit is right for you.