[paulocal]

How is the drug different than victoza or any of the other weight management drugs that are currently under investigation for causing pancreatic cancer?

[lharries]

(Richie's co-founder here)

Victoza is the brand name for Liraglutide. The drug we are primarily interested in is Semaglutide. Both Semaglutide and Liraglutide are GLP-1 receptor agonists.

It's worth doing your own research and consulting a doctor but the experts I've spoken to (academics and clinicians) along with the studies state that: "GLP-1 analogues did not increase the risk for pancreatic cancer when compared to other treatments" (from a Nature Scientific Reports meta-analysis paper published in 2019) [1].

Here is the postmarket FDA safety information on Victoza if you are interested: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information...

[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-38956-2

[paulocal]

I get how when compared to other treatments for diabetes it may not increase your risk but when we are comparing with other treatments for weight management or just no treatment at all, I find it hard to believe that it doesn't significantly increase the risk for pancan. I understand it's FDA approved but so have been all other drugs in its class that are allegedly linked to pancreatic cancer.

[rich-cartwright]

We're definitely watching this closely.

It's worth noting that, as with any medication, there is a cost-benefit trade-off. In this case it will depend on someone's current weight, what they've tried in the past, and the risks of other conditions e.g. heart disease, diabetes, and their past medical history. Each person that joins Fella has an in-depth discussion about this with an independent obesity physician and is welcome to speak it through with their own PCP too.