Makers of Diabetes Drugs Januvia/Byetta Failed to Warn of Pancreatic Cancer Risk, Suit Says

Januvia/Byetta

TRENTON, N.J. — A Tennessee woman has sued Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), Amylin Pharmaceuticals LLC and Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY), accusing them of failing to warn doctors and the public that their type 2 diabetes drugs Januvia and Byetta can cause pancreatic cancer.

The Nov. 13 complaint, pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, says the drug makers over-promoted the drugs while failing to perform adequate safety testing.

Marlene Crowell originally filed the complaint in the Atlantic County (N.J.) Superior Court, alleging that her husband Frederic’s ingestion of Januvia and Byetta …