Thyroid cancer concerns are out these days, and we also have to address them. Check out the latest reports below.
Thyroid cancer concerns
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a drug safety signal (pdf) regarding the potential risk of thyroid cancer associated with certain classes of medications that include semaglutide, the active ingredient in the widely used drugs Ozempic, approved for Type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, approved for obesity.
The medications in question are glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Their manufacturers, including Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi Winthrop, must submit supplementary information by July 26, 2023.
It’s important to note that a safety signal doesn’t always indicate a direct cause-and-effect relationship between a medication and an adverse event that’s been reported. The goal of evaluating safety signals is to establish whether or not there is a causal connection between the two.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, Lars Otto Andersen-Lange, the media relations director at Novo Nordisk, confirmed that the company is aware of the signal and EMA’s request. He also stated that they would conduct a comprehensive assessment of all relevant data to shed more light on this matter.
According to Andersen-Lange, Novo Nordisk’s products, including semaglutide, have been available in the market for over a decade, and the safety data gathered from clinical trials and postmarketing surveillance have not shown any conclusive evidence linking them to thyroid cancer.
In addition, Andersen-Lange pointed out some “significant limitations” in the study that caused concern. These limitations were highlighted in a nested case-control analysis published in Diabetes Care in February 2023. Among the limitations were the lack of verified case identification, insufficient differentiation of repeated occurrences, possible misclassification of events, and unverified drug exposure.
We suggest that you check out the complete article posted by The Epoch Times in order to learn more details about this.
