June 12, 2013 — The British Medical Journal has published an editorial after an investigation unearthed concerns about a link between diabetes drugs and pancreatic cancer.
A new class of type-2 diabetes drugs, called incretin mimetics (Jan
June 12, 2013 — The British Medical Journal has published an editorial after an investigation unearthed concerns about a link between diabetes drugs and pancreatic cancer.
A new class of type-2 diabetes drugs, called incretin mimetics (Januvia, Byetta, Victoza, and more) work by influencing hormones that reduce blood-sugar levels. Unfortunately, studies have found that these hormones can also inflame the pancreas (causing acute pancreatitis) and stimulate the proliferation of cells in the pancreas — two major risk-factors for pancreatic cancer.
The authors cited three major studies published this year linking incretin mimetic drugs to pancreatic cancer. One study, published in February, found that people taking Januvia (sitagliptin) and Byetta (exenatide) were twice as likely to be hospitalized for acute pancreatitis compared to people taking other anti-diabetic drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have confirmed increased signals of pancreatic cancer, but Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb deny a causal relationship.
Even some experts say that the evidence linking diabetes drugs and pancreatic cancer is weak — mostly because pancreatic cancer is rare, many of these drugs are new, and manufacturers have not completed adequate safety studies. However, despite the lack of adequate studies, there could still be a serious risk.
For example, in a rodent study published in 2007, twelve rodents with diabetes who were given Januvia (sitagliptin) developed enlarged pancreases, one 