New Study May Be Able To Link Reglan to Pancreatic Cancer
A new study conducted by the Omeros Corporation has discovered that two orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are linked to pancreatic cancer and cognitive disorders. What makes this information interesting for Reglan users is that Reglan is also in the family of GPCRs.
On March 2, 2011, Omeros announced it was able to identify compounds that can interact selectively with at least two GPCRs that have already been linked to pancreatic cancer — GPR182 and GPR12. If you combine that with the orphans that the corporation previously unlocked — squamous cell carcinoma (GPR87), obesity (GPR85) and appetite control (GPR101) — you see that Omeros has now unlocked a total of five orphan GPCRs. That’s impressive.
GPCRs basically tell you the drug family that the targets represent. Right now, 30 percent of the drugs that are on the market today are targeting 46 different types of GPCRs (of which Reglan is one). There are about 120 orphan GPCRs, and Omeros is hoping to unlock a large percent of them for future drug development. Other GPCRs include:
- Claritin
- Zantac
- OxyContin
- Lopressor
- Imitrex
- Abilify
So far, Omeros hasn’t confirmed that Reglan causes pancreatic cancer, but who knows where this current research on GPCRs will lead. Reglan has also been linked to many other harmful conditions including tardive dyskinesia, ocular deviation, NMS and secondary Parkinson's disease. Thousands of lawsuits have resulted from patients that have contracted various conditions after taking Reglan for longer periods of time than what the FDA recommends (12 weeks). Many of the patients filing lawsuits were taking the drug for periods lasting months or even years.
What this new research being conducted by Omeros does is give patients that are currently suffering from pancreatic cancer after taking Reglan (and these other drugs) a chance to find out if the drug may be directly responsible for their condition. While it is not going to make the patient feel better to know which medication is responsible, it can give them cause to file a lawsuit which might be able to help cover their medical expenses and help pay for cutting-edge treatments that can prolong or even save their life.
