Popular type-2 diabetes drug Onglyza has been linked to potentially fatal complications and has many healthcare officials worried over potential heart failure. Saxagliptin, the main ingredient in the type-2 diabetes drug Onglyza, has been linked to serious cardiac events in a recent study.

The study found that patients may face an increased risk of hospitalization due to heart failure, soon after being prescribed the type-2 diabetes drug Onglyza. Onglyza was approved by the FDA in July 2009 as a type-2 diabetes treatment drug for patients.

The type-2 diabetes medication is a member of the incretin mimetics drug family, which works by signaling the pancreas to make more insulin during meals and keeping blood sugar levels at a manageable level. Onglyza does this by inhibiting DPP-4 liver enzymes, signaling the pancreas to produce more insulin.

This medication also manages the rate of glucogenesis, which stabilizes the blood sugar amounts in the liver. When used alongside diet and exercise, Onglyza is supposed to help patients live a normal life.

This medication quickly gained popularity for its unique treatment mechanism. However, the type-2 diabetes drug Onglyza has been linked to heart failure, which has spurred major concern in the medical community.

Overview of Onglyza Heart Failure

Manufacturing companies Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca recently funded a study of the potential complications of type-2 diabetes drug Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR. The SAVOR study was initiated after a high number of heart failure hospitalizations were reported, and was published in the 2013 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study observed 16,492 type-2 diabetes patients and was done to help healthcare professionals evaluate which diabetes medications were ideal choices for patients. According to the study, patients who took Onglyza faced a slightly increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure, compared to patients prescribed other medications.

While the hospitalization increase was not statistically significant, it did initiate concern in the medical community and called for further investigation. Overall, the FDA reviewed two significant clinical trials and found that 3.5% of patients who received Saxagliptin medications were hospitalized for heart failure, compared to 2.8% of them who received a placebo.

This study had spurred an FDA advisory community to require AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb to include potential hospitalization from heart failure on the type-2 diabetes drug Onglyza warning label, which was announced in April 2015. The FDA also stated that the risk of Onglyza heart failure was higher in patients with previous cardiac conditions and kidney disease.

Heart failure occurs when the heart becomes unable to pump blood, which can be caused by a number of contributing factors. This is a potentially fatal condition, so pharmaceutical companies often warn the patient population of this potential complication.

Patients who were prescribed the type-2 diabetes drug Onglyza and were hospitalized for heart failure may be able to file legal action against the companies.