Insulin brand given the all-clear

THE PHARMACEUTICAL Services of Cyprus have announced that they will not be ordering the discontinuation of the usage of the Insulin Glargine, following the conclusion of a European Medicines Agency investigation into possible links between the insulin analogues and cancer.

The insulin, which is sold in the EU under the names of Lantus and Optisulin, had been the subject of four medical studies which suggested that there might be a possible link between the two medicines and cancer, particularly breast cancer.

According to a press release filed on its website on July 23, “The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that the available data does not provide a cause for concern and that changes to the prescribing advice are therefore not necessary.”

Cyprus’ Pharmaceutical Services had announced at the beginning of July that they had been informed by the EMEA of their pending investigation into the safety of the insulin, however had not ordered a cessation of its use until the EMEA concluded its investigations. Its safety has now been assured, however the EMEA also announced that because of the lack of conclusive evidence, it “has requested the marketing authorisation holder, Sanofi-Aventis, to develop a strategy for generation of further research in this area.”

It also stated that it was “exploring possibilities for cooperation with academia to generate further information.”

Unless more substantial evidence does arise suggesting a detrimental effect of the drug, patients have been assured that they should feel safe continuing its usage.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.