The Institute for Safe Medical Practices has issued a report on possible risks associated with Onglyza and other diabetes medications.

Among the possible Onglyca side effects is thyroid cancer, a cancer of the butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck.

The institute monitored adverse diabetes drug reactions that patients, medical professionals, and manufacturers reported to the FDA. It acknowledges that this data is preliminary, but may indicate the need for further research.

Researchers for the institute looked at the risk of thyroid cancer, as well as pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

The resulting report concluded that all of the diabetes medications studied were associated with an increased risk of developing pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

While the researchers concluded that Onglyza and the other diabetes medications were associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis, they cautioned that this type of test cannot prove causation.

Can Onglyza Cause Thyroid Cancer?

The researchers from the institute found several reports of thyroid cancer reported by Onglyza patients. However, adverse events were only reported to the FDA database after-the-fact.

This makes the research regarding Onglyza and thyroid cancer an observational study. Observational studies are limited when it comes to determining if two events are connected in a chain of cause and effect.

While researchers could not prove that the patients developed thyroid cancer from Onglyza, they did conclude that it was “biologically plausible.” This means that current medical science could explain a link between thyroid cancer and Onglyza.

More specifically, Onglyza and related drugs act on GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas to regulate blood sugar in diabetics. GLP-1 is a hormone that the gut releases when food is present, helping to regulate blood glucose. Because the thyroid gland also has GLP-1 receptors, drugs like Onglyza could hypothetically act on the thyroid.

Though there are limits to the research methods used in this report, particularly in conjunction with thyroid cancer, researchers did state that the report and other studies strengthen a call for further research on diabetes medications like Onglyza, as well as research on thyroid cancer.

Additionally, researchers recommended updating the labeling on drugs like Onglyza to reflect implications of the adverse event data.

Diabetes Medication Lawsuits

Some diabetes medications related to Onglyza have already been at the center of diabetes medication lawsuits. Januvia, Byetta, and Victoza have all been the subject of litigation.

These Onglyza lawsuits have alleged that the medications can cause pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis, and allege that drug makers knew about the risks of various side effects based on clinical trials and observational studies, but did not act quickly to protect the public.