Onglyza is a drug that is prescribed to patients with type-2 diabetes to help lower blood-sugar levels.

The drug works by mimicking hormones that stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin.

After its FDA approval in 2009, Onglyza quickly grew in popularity because unlike other diabetes medications, it has the ability to effectively control blood sugar while not causing weight gain.

However, a number of studies and multiple adverse event reports filed with the FDA have linked incretin mimetics like Onglyza to a heightened risk of thyroid cancer.

What is Onglyza?

Insulin is responsible for moving glucose from the blood into the cells. Type 2 diabetics often suffer from a combination of insulin resistance and inhibited insulin production. Onglyza helps to lower blood sugar by prompting the pancreas to release insulin, and limiting the liver’s production of glucose.

The primary advantage to prescribing Onglyza is that, unlike other diabetes medications, it does not cause weight gain or retention.

While the drug has been shown to improve blood glucose levels in patients, some argue that AstraZeneca has withheld important information regarding potential side effects and links to serious or life threatening conditions, including Onglyza thyroid cancer.

Incretin Mimetic Drugs Linked To Thyroid Cancer Risk

The FDA has received numerous reports of patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer after taking various forms of incretin mimetic drugs. In June of 2011 the agency responded by issuing a Safety Warning about the risk of thyroid cancer linked to the use of the diabetes drug Victoza.

The FDA published the safety communication after studies showed a higher rate of malignant thyroid tumors in rodents treated with Victoza, an incretin mimetic drug that shares strong similarities with Onglyza.

According to the study’s findings, rodents that were given a “clinically-relevant” dose of Victoza developed malignant thyroid cancer and acute pancreatitis. Another incretin mimetic, Byetta, has also been linked to a higher rate of thyroid cancer.

Based on these findings and multiple FDA reports of patients developing thyroid cancer after taking incretin mimetics, more studies are being conducted to investigate the link between Onglyza and similar drugs and thyroid cancer.

Other Onglyza Side Effects

In addition to thyroid cancer, side effects of Onglyza and other drugs in the “incretin mimetic” class may include:

• Pancreatitis
• Heart failure
• Pancreatic cancer
• Hypersensitivity reactions (anaphylaxis, angioedema, exfoliative skin conditions)
• Hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood-sugar levels)
• Skin reactions (thrombocytopenic purpura)

If you were prescribed Onglyza for the treatment of diabetes and experienced severe side effects such as thyroid cancer, you may be entitled to compensation for the cost of medical care, pain and suffering, and any additional financial losses you may be forced to incur in the present or the future.