Cancer-related side effects for Januvia

The diabetes drug Januvia has become another in a series of similar medications that are now drawing scrutiny for cancer-related side effects.

Januvia - which was also sold in a combination pill with metformin under the name Janumet - is part of a class of diabetes drugs known as DDP-4 inhibitors, which help patients with Type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels.

The drug - which works by affecting different cells in the pancreas - first came on the market in late 2006.

However, after that release, the FDA received dozens of reports of pancreatitis from patients who were using Januvia. For many, their symptoms were later resolved once they stopped taking the drug.

In late 2009, the FDA revised the Januvia warning label, including information regarding the potential for pancreatitis.

Multiple studies have since shown that those taking the drug may have an elevated risk of both pancreatitis and pancreatic cancers. In fact, one study concluded that patients on the drug had a 2.7 times greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

The issues are similar to those seen with other DDP-4 inhibitor diabetes medications - such as Byetta and Victoza - which have also come under scrutiny following their introductions. Byetta has been previously linked to kidney problems as well as pancreatitis.