New JAMA Study Says Januvia/Byetta May Increase Risk of Hospitalization Due to Pancreatitis

CHICAGO — Type 2 diabetes drugs Januvia and Byetta may increase the risk of hospitalization due to pancreatitis, according to the results of a case-control study published Feb. 25 by JAMA International Medicine.

The study involved 2,538 adults with type-2 diabetes, half of whom were hospitalized with acute pancreatitis. After adjusting for factors such as alcohol use, smoking and obesity, researchers determined that patients who had used Januvia or Byetta in the last 30 days were more likely to be hospitalized by acute pancreatitis.

Researchers from John Hopkins in Baltimore conducted the study, entitled “Glucagonlike Peptide 1–Based Therapies and …