Onglyza medication for patients with type-2 diabetes can cause serious side effects that can be deadly.

Onglyza medication was approved by the FDA in 2009 to help control high blood sugar. The popular drug from Astra Zeneca saw fast sales because it does not seem to cause weight gain, unlike many other diabetes medicines.

Onglyza Medication: Effects on the Pancreas

Onglyza reduces the amount of sugar that the liver releases overnight, resulting in lower blood sugar in the morning. It also can help lower after-meal blood sugar spikes by helping the body increase insulin levels after eating.

Onglyza side effects allegedly include an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

In 2013, researchers looked at the pancreases of deceased patients who had taken Onglyza and similar incretin drugs and discovered pre-cancerous cells in the pancreases.

Onglyza increases the number and size of the cells that secrete insulin in the pancreas. These cells are called beta cells, and they either shrink or die in people with type-2 diabetes, causing these patients to experience a reduction in insulin.

The 2013 study found the beta cells that Onglyza helped produce were abnormal. These beta cell abnormalities were only seen in patients who took drugs such as Onglyza.

Onglyza side effects allegedly include benign tumors that can transform into cancer in the pancreas.

Onglyza medication can also cause pancreatitis, which means the pancreas has become inflamed.

Patients suffering from pancreatitis often require hospitalization because the condition is painful and can be deadly.

Studies show that people on Onglyza medication are apt to develop pancreatic cancer more so than those not on such a medication. Most people are not diagnosed with pancreatic cancer until it is in its later stages, due to few symptoms until the cancer is advanced.

Some doctors believe that Onglyza medication and other incretin-based medicines can cause an increased risk of thyroid cancer as well.

Onglyza Medication Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Failure

Researchers wanted to know if Onglyza could offer any protection against heart ailments. Their 2013 study actually found that patients who took Onglyza had an increased risk for heart failure.

When the heart pumps blood at an abnormally slow rate, it is known as heart failure, causing the body to become deficient in oxygen and nutrients. Over time, fluid retention leads to congestive heart failure.

Onglyza should be avoided by those at risk for heart failure, according to Dr. Anthony DeMaria, editor in chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, in a Reuters interview.

Onglyza’s own website tells patients who have had pancreatitis, gallstones, a history of alcoholism, or high triglyceride levels to talk to their doctors before starting Onglyza medication.

The website also cautions thata Onglyza can cause joint pain that can be severe.

If you have taken Onglyza and suffered any side effects, you could be eligible for compensation through a class action lawsuit.