incretins and Carcinoma--Medullary

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1ra) are a new group of drugs with a glucose-lowering action due to their incretin effect. The GLP-1 receptor is expressed in various human tissues, which could be related to the pleiotropic effects of human GLP-1, as well as to the adverse effects described in patients treated with GLP-1ra. The risk of hypoglycaemia is low, which is one of the main considerations in the safety of this family of compounds and is also important to patients with diabetes. The most frequent adverse effect is nausea, which usually occurs at the start of treatment and is transient in 20-60% of affected patients. This article also reviews the information available on antibody formation, the potential effect on the thyroid gland, and the controversial association between this group of drugs with pancreatitis and cancer.

Topics: Animals; Antibody Formation; Blood Pressure; Carcinoma, Medullary; Cardiotonic Agents; Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Gastrointestinal Motility; Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor; Heart; Humans; Hypoglycemia; Hypoglycemic Agents; Incretins; Lipids; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Nausea; Pancreatitis; Receptors, Glucagon; Rodentia; Species Specificity; Thyroid Neoplasms; Vomiting