At present, approximately 29.1 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes, and as many as 8.1 million (more) Americans have the disease but have not yet been diagnosed. Perhaps equally as staggering, by the end of this year, about 1.4 million new cases of diabetes will have been diagnosed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”), diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. People with diabetes can experience numerous, serious, and deadly complications, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, chronic kidney disease, and amputations. Even more, diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults ages 20-74, and is also the leading cause of kidney failure. Consequently, diabetes is considered to be one of the major health challenges of the twenty-first century.

In response to this rapidly growing epidemic, there has been an influx of diabetes medications introduced to the market over the last ten years, or so. This group of drugs is known as the incretin class and, used in conjunction with diet and exercise, they help to lower blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics. At face value, these drugs may seem to be the answer to the diabetes crisis plaguing the U.S., but studies suggest that this class of drugs may actually do more harm than good as incretins have also been linked to causing pancreatic cancer. In fact, pancreatic cancer has been reported almost three times more in patients treated with incretins, than in patients treated with other diabetic therapies.

Sadly, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with 74% if patients dying within the first year of diagnosis. On average, the life expectancy of an individual with metastatic (stage four) pancreatic cancer, is just five to seven months, which is largely attributed to the fact that, for the most part, pancreatic cancer progresses without any symptoms. Therefore, by the time an individual starts to become symptomatic and seeks treatment leading to diagnosis, the disease has too far progressed.

Unfortunately, many diabetics are unaware that their pancreatic cancer may have been caused by their diabetes medication(s). Point blank, despite having knowledge that these drugs cause pancreatic cancer, rather than taking steps to pull the drugs from the market, or provide stronger warnings, manufacturers put profits before patients’ safety by continuing to promote these drugs as safe and effective treatments for adults with type 2 diabetes. Ultimately, it is through litigating these cases that we aim to spread awareness to these issues and hold these manufacturers accountable for the harm they have caused. If you or a loved one is a diabetic and have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, The Yost Legal Group may be able to help. Our team of experienced legal professionals is here to offer you free, individual consultation. Call The Yost Legal Group at 1-800-YOST-LAW.