Victoza, a bestselling anti-diabetes drug produced by Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, has been continually hounded by controversies that describe its safety on a less favorable light, according to online media reports.

1. FDA Alerts Patients of Potential Pancreatic
Problems from Victoza
Victoza, a bestselling anti-diabetes drug
produced by Danish healthcare company Novo
Nordisk, has been continually hounded by
controversies that describe its safety on a less
favorable light, according to online media
reports. These mounting safety problems have
caused a stir in the medical community and
have also prompted the watchful eye of the
United States Food and Drug Administration.
Reports reveal that these issues have also led
some patients to enlist the help of legal experts
for a possible Victoza lawsuit.
In March, the US FDA issued a drug safety communication alerting professionals
and patients that Victoza, and other incretin mimetic medications, has been
associated with pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), and pre-cancerous
cellular changes. This advisory was reportedly prompted by unpublished findings
by a group of researchers who examined pancreatic tissue samples from patients
who died of undetermined causes.
Incretin mimetics are a class of drugs generally indicated for the treatment of type
2 diabetes -- a condition characterized by elevated levels of blood sugar (glucose).
Hailed as a major advancement in diabetes care, this class of drugs essentially
works by acting like incretins -- hormones that regulate the production of insulin.
Insulin then decreases blood sugar levels by helping the body’s cells absorb

2. glucose from the blood for energy. Other incretin mimetics available on the
American consumer market also include Byetta and Januvia by Amylin
Pharmaceuticals and Merck, respectively.
The safety of Victoza has been the subject of criticism way before it was released
on the market. As a matter of fact, consumer advocates from a group called
Public Citizen have even expressed their disagreement over the FDA’s decision to
approve Victoza in January 2010. The group from Washington, DC filed a petition
with the federal agency to pull the product from the market, asserting that it may
cause hazardous health risks, including renal failure and even cancer of the
thyroid gland, according to a previous report at reuters.com. Early research
studies have also suggested that patients taking Victoza may be more likely to
suffer from inflammation of the pancreas compared to patients using other anti-
diabetes medications.
In the end, the FDA concluded that the potential risks of Victoza do not outweigh
the medication’s benefits. In spite of that, reports say that some people who
allege of experiencing similar health problems from the drug are considering a
potential lawsuit against Victoza drug maker, Novo Nordisk. Attorneys who are
experts on personal injury cases have also established online resources, similar to
the Rottenstein Law Group’s rotlaw.com, that feature relevant information
pertaining to Victoza.