Diabetes drug dapagliflozin could increase risk of cancer, says report

Tue, 19 Jul 2011
A report by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has shown that the type 2 diabetes drug dapagliflozin could be linked to an increased risk of breast and bladder cancer, it has been revealed.

Dapagliflozin, which is still under development, has recently undergone a series of clinical trials that highlighted nine cases of each type of cancer for those patients taking dapagliflozin, while just one of each type of cancer was found in the patients taking a placebo .

The case for the drug, which was developed by pharma giants AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb, will be assessed by an advisory panel this week. Both firms have admitted they expect action to be taken by the FDA during the next few months.

The FDA have stated that dapagliflozin seems to be effective at treating diabetes, but that it also appears to increase the risk of damage to the liver, and both urinary and genital infections, as well as bone loss, and worked less well when taken by patients with damaged kidneys .

The news follows recent problems for the controversial diabetes drug Avandia (also known as rosiglitazone), which has been linked to an increase in risk of heart problems, with sales being recommended for suspension by the European Medicines Agency.

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