Merck and Co., one of the oldest pharmaceutical companies in the United States and one of the largest in the world, has a corporate research division they refer to as the Diet and Diabetes Division. This division focuses on the developing drugs for the two things most ailing Americans today, diabetes and obesity.

Cases of type II diabetes have been exploding in the United States. Many experts attribute this to the rise in obesity. Obesity is determined by your body mass index (BMI), but is very simple to determine, if you are 20 to 25 pounds above what is determined to be your healthy body weight, then you are obese. Don’t feel bad, because it is estimated that more than 1 out of every 3 Americans is obese.

Amongst all of the bad things that obesity does such as create severe heart problems, liver problems, and raises your chance of death considerably, it also is the leading cause of type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is when the insulin created in the pancreas cannot adequately control the level of gluten (sugar) in the blood, thus causing a myriad of problems.

To combat this problem, Merck has developed a drug called Januvia (sitagliptin). Januvia was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007 and has seen a vigorous rise in usage since its introduction making it one of the most popular and profitable in Merck’s arsenal of drugs.

What does Januvia do?

When you eat, gastrointestinal hormones are released to promote insulin production that regulates the sugar (glucose) released into the body for energy from the food. Then your body releases an enzyme to supress the hormones so that the levels can balance. Since diabetes is a lack of insulin, Januvia inhibits the enzyme that suppresses the hormones, and thus promotes the production of insulin in the pancreas.

Januvia Side Effects

One of the main Januvia side effects has been a tendency for patients to contract respiratory infections that are as small as the common cold, but can progress into a serious respiratory infection if not monitored. These infections are particularly risky for smokers or people with lowered immune systems, so it is advised that people do not smoke on Januvia.

Other Side Effects Include:

• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Chronic fatigue
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal pain radiating to the back
• Chills
• Fever
• Diarrhea

Another rare side effect is called Cutaneous Vasculitis, which is essentially an irritating rash that appears on the surface of the skin due to an attack on the blood cells in that area. It generally only lasts around 2 weeks if treated. If not properly treated then it can progress into infection so please see your physician if you display this Januvia side effect.

These side effects are not the worst of them. Since the drug has hit the market, studies have also found a link between Januvia and pancreatitis.

Januvia and Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, which can be brought on for many different reasons. The inflammation of the pancreas usually happens when someone overeats over the holidays or binge drinks. These activities overwork the pancreas and make it swell, but once the work is done it goes back down. Pancreatitis becomes acute when the person is a constant over eater or heavy alcoholic.

What specifically happens is, normally, digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas do not become active until they reach the small intestine. But when the pancreas is inflamed, the enzymes inside it attack and damage the tissues that produce them, thus causing pancreatitis.

Januvia may cause the pancreas to remain inflamed and thus causing Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis (ulceration and bleeding of the pancreas) and the sometimes fatal Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis.

Januvia and Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis

Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis is when the pancreas is inflamed long enough that the enzymes that attack and damage the tissues of the pancreas take over and essentially begin to kill parts of the pancreas. This is similar to what many people know as gangrene, where if a wound on a limb is left to fester the limb will die and begin to smell.

Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis was originally treated only through surgery where the affected area was cut out so that it could eventually be regenerated. This was extremely invasive surgery that had a much higher mortality rate than current treatments. Now, Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis is treated without surgery if the physician can possibly help it. Newer treatments have found that the pancreas, with proper care and monitoring, can regenerate itself.

Symptoms of Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis are:

• Abnormally high levels of circulating fats in the bloodstream
• Complications from kidney transplant
• Hereditary pancreatitis
• Infection
• Injury to the abdomen resulting in injury to the pancreas (including injuries occurring during surgery)
• Malfunction of the parathyroid gland, with high blood levels of calcium
• Structural problems of the pancreatic duct and bile ducts

Defective Drug Attorneys of WA Help Victims of Januvia

Sales of Januvia were $2.7 billion last year and Merck only expects that number to go up. This lead to an overall rise in stock and tons of very happy investors as of late, which is a turn around for Merck, the company know for the largest pharmaceutical payoff in US history. Its pain killer Vioxx was found to have caused up to 139,000 heart attacks in its four years on the market resulting in the death of thousands of patients. This led to lawsuits and fines topping $5 billion and still rising.

As you can see, Merck is large, but not untouchable. The giant pharmaceutical companies have unlimited resources and a team of legal professionals to make sure that patients who are injured or killed by their defective drugs do not receive compensation. That’s why patients affected by Januvia Side Effects need an experienced attorney on their side to represent their best interests.

Phillips Webster is a law firm that is experienced in Defective Drug Litigation who represents victims of the serious side effects of pharmaceuticals to assure that they get the compensation they deserve. If you or someone you know has been seriously injured or killed by the Januvia side effects, call the Januvia side effects lawyers Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Januvia
• Defective Drugs
• Medication Errors