Certain diabetic patients treated with the prescription medication Onglyza require congestive heart failure treatment due to side effects.

Elevated risk of heart failure is only one of the many possible side effects associated with Onglyza and a similar medication, Kombiglyze. Other risks include joint pain, histamine reactions and extreme high or low glucose levels (the latter can result when Onglyza is taken in combination with other diabetic medications, such as metformin or sulphonylurea drugs).

Cardiac events were only recently identified; however, the number of patients who have required congestive heart failure treatment as a result of taking Onglyza have led some medical authorities to call for its removal from pharmacy shelves.

About Onglyza

The medication that has led patients to seek congestive heart failure treatment is part of a class of diabetic drugs called “gliptins.” Known generically as “saxagliptin,” Onglyza was given FDA approval in 2009. The first such drug (sitagliptin) was approved in 2006, and is sold under the brand name Januvia.

Gliptin drugs are also known as DDP-4 inhibitors. These medications work by preventing the function of a biochemical substance known as dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hence the term “DDP-4”).

This, in turn, prevents the pancreas from producing glucagon, a hormone that raises the levels of blood sugar and fatty acids in the bloodstream. When the release of glucagon is closed off, the pancreas is able to produce more insulin, thus slowing digestion and lowering blood sugar levels.

Onglyza was developed jointly by Bristol-Meyer Squibb and AstraZeneca, the latter of which now markets the product.

Onglyza Leads to Congestive Heart Failure Treatment

The FDA became aware of the risk of cardiac events in 2014,  which led the agency to add a label warning the following year. The decision was based on a study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Oct. 3, 2013.

The researchers in that study concluded that “DPP-4 inhibition with saxagliptin did not increase or decrease the rate of ischemic events, though the rate of hospitalization for heart failure was increased.” While acknowledging that “saxagliptin improves glycemic control,” the authors of the study warned that congestive heart failure treatment could be necessary for diabetic patients.

Pancreatic Cancer as Well?

2013 also saw the publication of a study, published in the AMA journal Diabetes Care, which found an association between gliptin drugs in general and an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

This conclusion was based on clinical research in which the pancreas of laboratory rats and organ donors treated with gliptin medications developed pre-cancerous tissues. Although an analysis of that study the following year failed to confirm the earlier findings in human patients, the risk could not be completely ruled out because of the small number of subjects involved.

Have You Required Congestive Heart Failure Treatment?

A causal link has yet to be established, but what has been discovered so far indicates that patients who take Onglyza for the treatment of type-2 diabetes are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing a cardiac event that requires congestive heart failure treatment.

If you have experienced symptoms such as respiratory distress, coughing, arrhythmia or unusual swelling in the extremities while taking Onglyza, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.