Belviq Lawsuits

Belviq lawsuits haven’t been grouped into multidistrict litigation. Litigation in these cases has been stayed since 2022 to try and settle claims, and there have been no trials scheduled.

Status of Belviq Lawsuits

• October 2024: There are no new updates to report on at this time. Lawyers do continue to accept new cases.
• May 2024: No new developments in this litigation, but lawyers continue to investigate cases.
• March 2024: There aren’t any known active lawsuits remaining in this litigation, but some attorneys continue to accept new cases.
• December 2023: Some Belviq lawsuits have been settled while negotiations continue. Plaintiffs’ lawyers are optimistic that Eisai will soon reach a global settlement. In the meantime, lawyers are still accepting cases.
• July 2023: Settlement negotiations for a potential global settlement continue.
• January 2023: Some cases have settled for confidential amounts.
• May 2022: U.S. District Judge Anne Conway agreed to a request to stay all proceedings while plaintiffs and defendants try to negotiate a global settlement.
• August 2021: Judges ruled that Belviq lawsuits would proceed without an MDL and remain in their respective state courts.
• April 2021: Plaintiffs’ lawyers asked the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to consolidate cases from across the country into multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
• February 2020: Esai issued a voluntary recall for Belviq and Belviq XR. The FDA found the risks of cancer outweigh the benefits of the drug.

“It is estimated that hundreds of individuals (if not numbers in the low thousands) developed cancer as a direct and proximate result of using and ingesting Defendants’ Belviq. Many of these injured individuals have filed or will be filing lawsuits against Defendants,” lawyers said in court documents.

Normally, when lawyers expect hundreds or thousands of cases against one defendant with similar injuries, the cases transfer to an MDL to conserve costs and smooth out litigation. But judges ruled that Belviq cases would not proceed to an MDL.

Belviq users who developed pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancer began filing lawsuits shortly after the FDA found an increased risk of these cancers in people who took the drug. Lawsuits said Eisai Inc. failed to warn about the risk. Arena Pharmaceuticals manufactures Belviq at its facility in Switzerland. Eisai Inc. marketed and distributed Belviq in the United States. Both companies are named in lawsuits.

On Feb. 13, 2020, the FDA requested that Eisai Inc. voluntarily withdraw the drug over the potential cancer link. The agency based its decision on results from a five-year study of Belviq users that the company had conducted to make sure there were no serious cardiovascular risks associated with the drug.

“We are taking this action because we believe that the risks of lorcaserin outweigh its benefits based on our completed review of results from a randomized clinical trial assessing safety,” the FDA announcement read.

When the FDA approved Belviq, it required Eisai to conduct a long-term study into the drug’s cardiovascular effects. The study involved 12,000 people, some taking Belviq and others taking a placebo. Data from the trial showed that 7.7 percent of the people taking Belviq developed cancer, compared to 7.1 percent taking the placebo.

The company complied with the FDA’s request, but it issued a statement saying that its interpretation of data from the study differed from the FDA’s.

“The company’s assessment is that Belviq and Belviq XR continue to have a positive benefit-risk profile in the patient population for which they are indicated,” the statement read.

The statement added that Eisai respected the FDA’s decision and was working with the agency to remove its drug from the market.

People who developed lung, pancreatic or colorectal cancer after taking Belviq for a total of six months may be eligible to file a lawsuit. It does not have to be six months in a row. They should have taken Belviq within seven years of being diagnosed with cancer.

The cancers must have originated in the lung, pancreas or colon; it cannot have spread to them from other organs. Those who lost a loved one to cancer after they took Belviq should talk to a lawyer within a year and a half of his or her death.

People considering a Belviq lawsuit should have details of their personal cancer history with them when they talk to an attorney about filing a case.

When choosing a top Belviq cancer lawyer to file a lawsuit on your behalf, it’s important to choose a lawyer who has extensive experience in pharmaceutical litigation. Be sure to ask them what their experience is and if they have had success settling cases or acquiring jury verdicts in other defective drug cases. 

For example, Drugwatch partners with Belviq lawyers Morgan & Morgan. Over the past 30 years, the firm has recovered more than $15 billion for clients and has extensive experience litigating cases against large drug companies.

If you want to file a Belviq lawsuit, you should contact a Belviq cancer lawyer right away to see if you qualify. Consultations are free. There are time limits to file a claim. If the statute of limitations runs out, you could lose your chance to file a lawsuit.

Do I qualify to file a Belviq cancer lawsuit?

Only a licensed Belviq lawyer can tell you if you qualify to file a Belviq cancer lawsuit. Be sure to tell the attorney about your experiences with Belviq and all the side effects you had. 

What do I need to prove my case?

To prove your cancer could have been caused by Belviq, your Belviq lawyer will need medical records, receipts and other evidence to show you took the drug and were diagnosed with cancer. The lawyer will explain any evidence needed. 

How long will my case take to settle?

Pharmaceutical cases like Belviq lawsuits may take several years to settle because of the complex science and evidence needed to prove the drug could have caused cancer. Your Belviq attorney should be able to give you more information on what time frame to expect. 

What is my Belviq cancer lawsuit worth?

Estimating how much a Belviq case is worth can be difficult in the early stages of litigation. Usually, lawyers have a better idea of how much each case is worth after cases go through bellwether test trials. Based on their previous experience, however, a Belviq lawyer may be able to give you an estimate of an average case value.