Onglyza, a popular type-2 diabetes drug, has allegedly been known to cause pancreatic or Onglyza cancer.
Onglyza was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2009 and is known generically as saxagliptin.
Along with diet and exercise, Onglyza is designed to help control high blood sugar in patients with type-2 diabetes.
However, Onglyza should be used only with patients who do not suffer from diabetic ketoacidosis.
Patients often prefer Onglyza because it does not encourage weight gain like many other type-2 diabetes drugs do. In 2015 alone, Onglyza sales reached $786 million in sales and is believed to bring in $2.5 billion each year by 2018.
Onglyza is part of the incretin mimetics class of drugs. These stimulate the insulin production in the pancreas which helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Onglyza is considered safer than previous drugs, some of which had dangerous cardiac side effects. However, Onglyza itself has its own set of possible adverse reactions.
Doctors are concerned that there can be a possible risk of pancreatitis as well as pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer associated with Onglyza.
Onglyza Cancer Connections
In 2013, the FDA reported that it would begin to look into reports of the increased risk of pancreatic cancer as a result of patients taking Onglyza.
Also in 2013, the journal Diabetes found a distinct connection between pancreatic cancer and Onglyza use.
Autopsies were performed on 20 deceased patients with diabetes. Eight of these patients had used Onglyza or a similar incretin mimetic drug. Each of these eight patients had a pancreas that was 40% larger than a normal pancreas.
These same patients also showed a six times increase in pancreatic beta cells, as well as pre-cancerous cell growth in the pancreas. They also showed a presence of adenomas, small tumors that can become malignant.
Even so, the European Medicines Agency stated that the current evidence is not strong enough to prove a definitive link between the drug and Onglyza cancer. The FDA, after investigation, agreed.
In February 2013, a group at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore noted that patients with diabetes who needed to be hospitalized because of pancreatitis were two times more likely to be taking Onglyza or other incretin mimetic drugs.
Not only is Onglyza connected to pancreatic cancer, it is also connected to a different type of Onglyza cancer. Thyroid cancer has also been linked to Ongylza use.
Starting in 2009, the FDA has been looking at a possible connection between incretin mimetic drugs and a higher risk for thyroid cancer. In fact, in 2011 they issued a communication that noted a higher rate of malignant thyroid tumors in a rodent study when the rodents were treated with incretin mimetics.
Other incretin mimetics have connections with an increased risk of Ongylza cancer like thyroid cancer. Researchers from UCLA found that incretin mimetic use increased thyroid cancer risk by five times.
If you or someone you love suffered from Onglyza cancer, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit. Specialized Onglyza lawyers can answer your questions.
In general, Onglyza lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.
Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual Onglyza lawsuit or Ongylyza class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.
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