Plaintiffs Seek Consolidation of Lawsuits Alleging Link Between Diabetes Drug Byetta and Thyroid Cancer

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Plaintiffs who claim the diabetes drug Byetta causes thyroid cancer have asked the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to centralize all federal Byetta cases in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California for pretrial purposes.

In a Jan. 28 petition, plaintiffs assert the 36 Byetta cases that have been filed to date “involve common questions of law and fact” and arise from their development of thyroid cancer as a result of taking the drug, which is manufactured by Amylin Pharmaceuticals LLC and Eli Lilly and Co.

“In addition to issues of causation, common issues …