Popular type-2 diabetes medication Onglyza (saxagliptin) has been linked to several severe side effects, including some forms of cancer.

Onglyza and cancer side effects have been a concern for the medical community for the past several years, after numerous patients allegedly developed pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer soon after taking the medication.

Onglyza is apart of the incretin mimetic drug family, which helps stimulate the production of insulin to insure adequate blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetes patients.

The treatment process causes the drug to directly interact with the pancreas, which is the body’s insulin manufacturing plant. This may raise the chances for pancreatic cancer to develop, along with thyroid cancer due to how the drug is metabolized.

This medication was approved by the FDA in 2009, and is manufactured by AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb. Onglyza quickly grew in popularity, as the drug prevents the liver from making too much glucose and signals the body to produce insulin after meals.

The medical community became concerned with Onglyza and cancer side effects, after the FDA released a public warning regarding Onglyza and pancreatic cancer in March 2013.

Overview of Onglyza and Cancer Side Effects

The agency warned the public against potentially increased risk of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, after a study was published in the March 2013 issues of Diabetes. This study analyzed 20 autopsies of deceased type-2 diabetes patients, with eight patients having used an incretin mimetic medication.

Results indicated that incretin mimectics significantly raised the chances of pancreatic complications, as the patients had a pancreas 40% larger than normal. The researchers stated the drugs may increased the number of beta cells in the pancreas, as well as the growth of pre-cancerous cell growth.

Experts have also been concerned with other Onglyza and cancer side effects, as the FDA has been concerned with the link between thyroid cancer and incretin mimetics since 2009. The agency had released a public safety warning regarding this alleged ink in 2011, stating incretin mimetics like Onglyza significantly increased the risk of malignant thyroid tumors.

Another recent study conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles was published in Gastroenterology and found incretin mimetic patients were five times more likely to develop thyroid cancer than other patients. Onglyza and cancer side effects is a prominent concern for the patient community, due to the drug’s popularity and the severity of the diseases.

Even with this concern, AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb allegedly failed to warn the public against Onglyza and cancer side effects. Patients who may have been affected by Onglyza cancer may be able to file legal action against the company, and should contact a specialized lawyer.