Studies reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) show no firm evidence that incretin based diabetes drugs caused pancreatic damage such as pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer.
Previous reviews of patient data, such as from insurance companies in the US, have indicated a link may exist between drugs for type 2 diabetes in the GLP-1 agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors classes of medications.
Drugs in the GLP-1 agonist (incretin mimetics) class include:
Exenatide (Byetta and Bydureon)
Liraglutide (Victoza)
Lixisenatide (Lyxumia)
Drugs in the DPP-4 inhibitors (gliptins) class include:
Sitagliptin (Januvia)
Vildagliptin (Galvus)
Saxagliptin (Onglyza)
Alogliptin (Vipidia)
Linagliptin (Trajenta)
The recent review by the FDA and EMA show no clear links of harm although they cannot advise that there is no link. The drug regulating organisations have concluded that labelling of the possible side effect of these medications is currently adequate.
The FDA noted that the number of people with pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer is significantly higher in people taking GLP-1 agonist and DPP-4 inhibitor drugs, but this needs to be taken in context as the people taking these drugs are at a greater risk to begin with. These medications are prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes are struggling with obesity and both of these factors present an increased risk of both pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
In the review of the safety of the medications, the FDA and EMA looked at 250 toxicology studies which monitored 18,000 animals. The studies showed no increased risks of pancreatitis. Studies of rodents showed no evidence of drug induced pancreatic cancer despite treating the mice and rats through their adult lives.
No convincing link was found in studies of human trials to date and results of two large clinical trials that are currently running may provide more conclusive answers.
