Byetta Linked to Four More Pancreatitis Deaths

In a conference call late Monday, Eli Lilly & Co. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. indicated that they have notified the FDA about four more deaths from pancreatitis among users of their diabetes drug Byetta. These four cases are in addition to two other Byetta pancreatitis deaths the FDA referenced in a notice to healthcare providers issued last week.

Byetta (exenatide) is a subcutaneous injection given twice a day to persons with Type-2 diabetes to lower their blood sugar levels. Since it was approved in the United States in April 2005, it has been used by about 1 million people.

Although sales of the drug grew 17 percent in the second quarter this year as compared to the same period last year, concerns have grown recently among users and prescribers about a possible Byetta side effect which could increase the risk of pancreatitis.

Did You Know?

Change Healthcare Data Breach Impacts Millions of Customers

A massive Change Healthcare data breach exposed the names, social security numbers, medical and personal information of potentially 100 million Americans, which have now been released on the dark web. Lawsuits are being pursued to obtain financial compensation.

On August 18, 2008, the FDA posted an alert on their website to notify doctors that the agency had received reports of at least six cases of necrotizing pancreatitis or hemorrhagic pancreatitis associated with Byetta. The FDA indicated that two of those six had died as a result of the severe cases of acute pancreatitis, and the other four were recovering.

Following the close of the U.S. markets on Monday, Eli Lilly and Amylin, who jointly market Byetta, held a conference call for the media, investors and the general public to discuss the possible association between Byetta and pancreatitis. At that time, the drug makers indicated that they had also notified the FDA of at least four other pancreatitis deaths among users of Byetta. However, they suggested that they do not believe there is any definite relationship between the drug and the deaths.

Eli Lilly and Amylin are in talks with the FDA about the possibility of new warnings about the Byetta pancreatitis risks. There are indications from some financial analysts that Byetta could receive a “black box” warning, which is the strongest warning issued by the FDA. The company did not disclose details regarding when the label change could take effect.

If a “black box” warning about pancreatitis is placed prominently on the Byetta label, it will likely cause a substantial drop in sales for Byetta, which is a big seller for the manufacturers. It could also reduce the chances that the FDA will approve a newer, longer acting version of the drug which is only injected once a week.

The drug makers will also likely face an increasing number of Byetta lawsuits from users who suffer pancreatitis after taking the drug.

The first known Byetta pancreatitis lawsuit has already been filed in California state court, coming only a few days after the FDA’s alert last week.

5 Comments

  • sonjaOctober 13, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    i am a student at MDC in florida do a paper on the deaths linked to Byetta and I need actual proof and actual names to present it on thrusday.

  • Byetta Pancreatitis Problems Cause Sales and Amylin Stock to Fall : AboutLawsuits.comJanuary 29, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    [...] confirmed during the days after the FDA announcement that they were aware of at least four other pancreatitis deaths among Byetta [...]

  • FDA Byetta Review for Expanded Use Delayed as Agency Reviews Warning Revisions : AboutLawsuits.comDecember 8, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    [...] a conference call with investors and users, where they disclosed that they were aware of at least four other deaths among users of Byetta from pancreatitis. Although they have denied that there is any causation between Byetta and pancreatitis, the [...]

  • Concerns About Byetta Deaths Require Amylin to Cut Work Force As Sales Fall : AboutLawsuits.comNovember 12, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    [...] sales for their once promising diabetes drug Byetta, which has recently been associated with 6 deaths caused by severe cases of pancreatitis.   Byetta (exenatide) is a synthetic incretin mimetic, which is sold in a pre-filled pen by [...]

  • FDA Requires Additional Byetta Safety Data Before Considering Long-Acting Version : AboutLawsuits.comNovember 5, 2008 at 5:18 pm

    [...] Byetta, including two death. Eli Lilly and Amylin later disclosed that they were aware of at least 4 additional Byetta pancreatitis deaths, though they denied that there was any causal connection between Byetta and [...]

Share Your Comments

I authorize the above comments be posted on this page*

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More Top Stories

Change Healthcare Data Breach Settlement Talks To Be Explored Early in MDL
Change Healthcare Data Breach Settlement Talks To Be Explored Early in MDL (Posted 2 days ago)

Court has ordered parties to meet separately with a U.S. Magistrate Judge over the next two months, to discuss the best timing and structure for settlement negotiations to resolve Change Healthcare data breach lawsuits.