Onglyza, or saxagliptin, belongs to a class of drugs known as “incretin-based therapies” that inhibit the production of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4).  DPP-4 inhibitors help the pancreas secrete more insulin and stop the liver from making excess sugar.  According to British Medical Journal editor Deborah Cohen, when DPP-4 drugs first appeared on the market, they were “touted… as the biggest breakthrough since the discovery of insulin nearly a hundred years before.”
However, doctors soon became concerned by reports of possible increased risk of pancreatitis and pancreatic and thyroid cancer associated with these drugs.  Many patients who developed pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer began filing lawsuits against the drugs’ manufacturers, claiming that the drug makers knew about, but did not warn the public of, the link between DPP-4 inhibitors and pancreas cancer.