Study shows possible Lantus, cancer link

Researchers from the Diabetes Agency at the Careggi Teaching Hospital and colleagues reported a "possible" association between cancer and Lantus insulin glargine in a nested case-control study of Type II diabetics published in Diabetes Care. Specifically, the researchers found that 112 patients with a new diagnosis of cancer had been taking a higher mean daily dose of Lantus compared with 370 matched controls (0.24 vs. 0.16 IU/kg/day, p=0.036).

sanofi-aventis Group (Euronext:SAN; NYSE:SNY) responded in a statement that the Diabetes Care study is the smallest case-control study published to date and that no valid conclusion can be drawn from the results. The company added that its own clinical experience with Lantus covering 70,000 patients as well as postmarketing surveillance supports the safety of the product and does not indicate an association between Lantus and cancer. ...