The prestigious medical journal BMJ has published a damning investigative article on a crop of new diabetes drugs called “incretin therapies,” which include Byetta and Januvia.
The article mentions a number of studies that have been published in recent years, indicating a potential link between these drugs and a potentially deadly inflammation of the pancreas called pancreatitis, as well as pancreatic cancer. Byetta has also been linked to thyroid cancer.
But the ...
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According to U.S. News and World Report, the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to reevaluate the diabetes drug Avandia is proving controversial, with some detractors accusing the agency of unnecessarily wasting taxpayer resources.
Avandia was once a top-selling medication for its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline. But a 2007 study concluded that it raised the risk of heart attack by more than 40 percent. As a result, the FDA imposed restrictions on Avandia in ...
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A New York Times story about the link between certain diabetes drugs and pancreatic cancer, says that more than 100 lawsuits have been filed. According to the report, more than 575 plaintiffs around the country are claiming injury from Byetta, and more than 40 claim Januvia caused pancreatic cancer.
Meanwhile, Dr. Peter C. Butler, an internationally renowned diabetes expert who first sounded health warnings about the link is standing up to ...
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking a second look at the diabetes drug Avandia, with an agency report already suggesting that the drug’s attendant risk of heart problems may not be as serious as reported.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Avandia, originally approved in 1999, was once a blockbuster for GlaxoSmithKline. But a 2007 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine said the drug caused heart problems. ...
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An item on investing blog Seeking Alpha advises readers not to own stock in the pharmaceutical company Merck, in part because of safety risks associated with its products.
The item mentions a recent study published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers concluded that a type of drugs for type 2 diabetes called GLP-1 atagonists, which include Merck’s Januvia and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Byetta, double a patient’s chances of developing pancreatitis. ...
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The New York Times reports on the efforts of Dr. Peter C. Butler, an internationally recognized diabetes expert described as a “crusader” for his attempts to warn about an apparent link between certain medications and potentially deadly pancreas ailments.
The report says Butler’s involvement in the issue began when he did a study on behalf of pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck, to test the effectiveness of its drug Januvia in treating diabetes.
When Butler ...
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