I am not sure if someone has posted this yet or not and I don't mean to cause a panic but we all need to have the info. This news was out the other day with Sanofi-Aventis supporting it's product Lantus and possible link to malignancies. http://www.cnbc.com/id/31573477/site/14081545 The FDA came out this morning saying patients should NOT stop taking it without talking with your doc. They are saying further studies need to be done and that the patient follow up in all four Lantus studies were generally considered shorter than necessary to fully evaluate the risks and that they have found "inconsistencies" in findings that may have contributed to finding an increased cancer risk.
Thanks for the article. I did not hear about this until you posted it. I will definately follow up with my doctor!
I was trying to attach something to the last post that describes it better than I did but it didn't work - I'm just going to retype it so there isn't any confusion...
The US Food and Drug Administration cast doubt on Wednesday on a possible association of cancer wtih Sanofi-Aventis' widely used Lantus diabetes drug after recently published studies suggested such a link.
In a communication posted on it's website, the FDA said the duration of patient follow-up in all four studies was shorter than what is necessary to evaluate for cancer risk from drug exposure.
Further, the agency said "Inconsistencies in findings within and across individual studies raise concerns as to whether an association between the use of (Lantus) and cancer truly exists."
The FDA said it was reviewing the safety data for Lantus, including the new studies, to better understand any possible cancer risk.
In the meantime, it urged patients not to stop taking their therapy without talking to their doctor.
From what I see, the underlying issue, which has been debated for years, is the affinity for these insulins for the insulin like growth factor, IGF-1, which affects cell growth and has been linked to cancer, possibly by affecting it's growth rate.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090629/sanofis-lantus-linked-cancer-what-is-known.htm
Novo-Nordisk took care to reject insulin producing cell lines that had this affinity in developing their human analogue insulins.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLS34709320090628
I used Lantus for about a year before having two severe hypos due to accidental injection into a blood vessel in my abdomen. I switched to Levemir (Novo-Nordisk) after that until I went on a pump. I now use only Novolog.
The only advantage I see to Lantus over Levemir is that it works better on a once per day injection and has a lower peak.
The disadvantage is that it is acidic, causing irritation in some people, must crystallize under the skin to release properly (thus my hypos), and is grown in e. coli bacteria. Novo Nordisk grows theirs in yeast.
So strictly as a long term diabetic, with no interest in the fortunes of any particular company, I have developed a very strong negative opinion of Lantus, primarily due to the aforementioned hypo caused "near death experience" (the only one in my 45 years as a T1). The cancer link is only another nail in the coffin for this drug, as far as I am concerend.
Larry
Hmmm.... so far I've been on Lantus since I've been dx'ed about two years ago and haven't really had any issues. However, I'm thinking about the omni pod which is only fast acting insulin and would mean no more Lantus.
Appreciate the info. I've been on Lantus for several years now and the only problems I've had relating to diabetes has been caused by my only carelessness. I like using it, seems to work well for me and how I live.
Thanks for the information. I am interested to see future studies. I was on lantus since it first came out about 7years ago I think, now on a pump though.
I have many suspicions about Lantus use with my four year-old type one son. I think it makes him very low overnight...we test every night at 1am, 1:30am, and 3:30am with some pretty scary numbers for a toddler range which should be 80-180. Of course it didn't help that my ex-husband was giving him double doses before I caught the error. So would you recommend to everyone not to take Lantus?
I asked my Doc and he said there wasn't really a concern at the moment.
@Colbymana - You're best to talk to your endo about it. It may be a good idea to switch him to something else, but based on the fact he is getting such low numbers during the night.
I emailed my endocoronologist, and he said and I quote: "The reported link between cancer and lantus is very weak and probably of no concern. I am happy to switch to something else if you are uncomfortable, but I have almost non-existent concerns."
I partiuclarly like the "almost non-existent" part! I think I'm going to stand pat for now and not switch.