FDA warning on incretin mimetic drugs for Type 2 Diabetes

The FDA is reviewing unpublished findings by a group of academic researchers that suggest pre-cancerous cellular changes may be associated with Type 2 Diabetes drugs called incretin mimetics.

The findings suggest the class of medicines may be linked to the risk of developing an inflammation of the pancreas tied to cancer and kidney failure that was previously reported in some of the medicines. The drugs in the class include exenatide (Byetta) liraglutide (Victoza), sitagliptin (Januvia) saxagliptin (Onglyza), alogliptin (Nesina) and linagliptin (Tradjenta). They mimic incretin hormones that the body usually produces naturally to stimulate the release of insulin in response to a meal.

The FDA said it hasn�t reached any new conclusions about the safety risks associated with the drugs and hasn�t determined whether they may cause or contribute to pancreatic cancer. The agency suggested patients continue taking the drugs and talk with their doctors.