People who take the newest class of diabetes drugs to control blood sugar are twice as likely as those on other forms of sugar-control medication to be hospitalized with pancreatitis, Johns Hopkins researchers report.
In an article published online inJAMA Internal Medicine, the scientists say the new drugs -- glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies (GLP-1) -- are associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for acute pancreatitis. The agents sitagliptin and exenatide -- generic names for the drugs sold under the brand names Januvia and Byetta -- appear to contribute to the formation of lesions in the pancreas and the proliferation of ducts in the organ, resulting in wellsprings of inflammation.
"These agents are used by millions of Americans with diabetes. These new diabetes drugs are very effective in lowering blood glucose. However, important safety findings may not have been fully explored and some side effects such as acute pancreatitis don't appear until widespread use after approval," says study leader Sonal Singh, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
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