Texas Januvia Janumet Attorney Warns About Pancreatic Cancer Link

As a Texas medical doctor and attorney I have expressed alarm at the epidemic of childhood obesity and the onslaught of type 2 diabetes in adult folks living in the US. Folks, we are facing a tremendous public health problem that is just the tip of the iceberg and the situation will become more more dire with the side effects of the newer diabetic drugs in the marketplace. Unfortunatley the general public is unware of the catastrophic impact of diabetes, it is in my opinion soon to outpace cancer and heart disease as a leading cause of death in the US.

New Drugs Incretin Mimetics

Januvia is a medication designed to treat adults with type-2 diabetes. In September 25, 2009 the FDA issued a warning label change to Januvia and Janumet (Janumet 50/500 is Metformin 500mg and Januvia 50mg) regarding Januvia deadly side effects.

FDA Warning Label Change Regarding Januvia

Eighty-eight post-marketing cases of acute pancreatitis, including two cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis in patients using Januvia were reported to the Agency between October 16, 2006 and February 9, 2009. Based on these reports, FDA asked the Merck the manufacturer of Januvia (sitagliptin) and Janumet (sitagliptin/metformin) to revise the prescribing information to include:

Information regarding post-marketing reports of acute pancreatitis, including the severe forms, hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis.

Recommending that healthcare professionals monitor patients carefully for the development of pancreatitis after initiation or dose increases of sitagliptin or sitagliptin/metformin, and to discontinue sitagliptin or sitagliptin/metformin if pancreatitis is suspected while using these products.

Patients with a history of pancreatitis are at increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

What is Januvia and Janumet?

Januvia and Janumet are the first in a new class of oral diabetes medications, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors that improve blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Both drugs have been linked to acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

Januvia, is manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc., is similar to Byetta: both drugs target the incretin system, which helps to regulate glucose by affecting the beta cells and alpha cells in the pancreas. Byetta has also been linked to severe kidney problems, including pancreatitis.

Incretin Mimetic Drugs for Type 2 Diabetes

Drugs in the incretin mimetic class include exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), liraglutide (Victoza), sitagliptin (Januvia, Janumet, Janumet XR, Juvisync), saxagliptin (Onglyza, Kombiglyze XR), alogliptin (Nesina, Kazano, Oseni), and linagliptin (Tradjenta, Jentadueto). These drugs work by mimicking the incretin hormones that the body produces naturally to stimulate the release of insulin in response to a meal.