FDA's New Diabetes Drug Warning Includes Meds from J&J, AstraZeneca, Lilly

May 19, 2015

The U.S. FDA has warned that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors -- a class of type 2 diabetes drugs -- can lead to a life-threatening condition called ketoacidosis.

Brand name SGLT2 meds include Johnson & Johnson's Invokana and Invokamet, AstraZeneca's Farxiga and Xigduo XR, and Eli Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim's Jardiance and Glyxambi.

A search of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database found that between March 2013 and June 2014, there were 20 reports from patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors of the drugs triggering ketoacidosis, in which levels of blood acids called ketones are too high. If untreated, ketoacidosis can lead to a diabetic coma or even death.

The FDA is urging health care professionals and patients to report side effects involving SGLT2 inhibitors to the FDA MedWatch program.

Read the FDA press release