Diabetes Drug Januvia May Trigger Pancreatitis, Pancreatic Cancer

Filed in archive Developments , Notable , Research , Treatment on April 30, 2009

A new study from UCLA's Larry L. Hillblom Islet Research Center found that the type 2 diabetes drug sitagliptin - sold in pill form as Januvia - could lead to a form of low-grade pancreatitis in some patients and a greater risk of pancreatic cancer in long-term users.

Researchers from the Larry L. Hillblom Islet Research Center at UCLA found that sitagliptin, sold in pill form as Januvia, caused abnormalities in the pancreas that are recognized as risk factors for pancreatitis and, with time, pancreatic cancer in humans.

"Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease - people often take the same drugs for many years, so any adverse effect that could over time increase the risk for pancreatic cancer would be a concern," said Dr. Peter Butler, director of the Hillblom Center and the study's lead investigator. "A concern here is that the unwanted effects of this drug on the pancreas would likely not be detected in humans unless the pancreas was removed and examined."

Marketed by Merck & Co. Inc., Januvia (sitagliptin) is a member of a new class of drugs that enhance the actions of the gut hormone known as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which has been shown to be effective in lowering blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.

The above findings are published in the online journal Diabetes.

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