Patients taking Janumet (sitagliptin and metaformin) and similar medications for Type 2 diabetes have a higher chance of developing pre-cancerous cells of the pancreas, as stated by the U.S. FDA.
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Between the years of 2006 and 2009, the FDA has garnered reports of 88 cases of pancreatitis associated with Janumet and Januvia. Janumet’s manufacturer, Merck, promised to conduct a short study dissecting the pancreatic complications linked to the medication, however failed to produce results to the FDA.
The University of California Los Angeles and the Gastroenterological Association conducted research pointing to Januvia/Janumet’s involvement in developing pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer and pancreatitis. The likelihood of a patient developing pancreatic cancer was increased by 2.7 times in those being treated with Januvia/Janument, and sitagliptin was associated with 16 reports of pancreatic cancer. That combined with a separate report by the Gastroenterological Association that the use of sitagliptin could increase the odds of developing cancer of the pancreas by 6.7 times.
Beginning this year, the FDA and European health officials have begun to more rigorously investigate the potential risks of pancreatic cancer from Janumet and Januvia.
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Merck has been accused of knowing the dangerous risks of pancreatic cancer from these medications without warning the public. Since this allegation came about, the company has been taking to court for legal accusations including 3 wrongful death lawsuits for failing to adequately warning patients about life-threatening side effects, misrepresentation of medication, failure to test the medication before Janumet/Januvia’s release, concealing reports of adverse reactions and failure to withdraw Januvia/Janumet from the market after it had been known to cause life-threatening side effects.
