FDA: Johnson's Diabetes Foot Ulcer May Cause Cancer

In an investigation report, officials from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Regranex, a Johnson's diabetic foot ulcer healing gel, has increased the risk of cancer and death.

The FDA believes that there is some evidence that patients treated with Regranex repeated more than three times increase the risk of cancer death.

The FDA announced that a study of adults with diabetes in an insurance plan database found that between January 1998 and March 2003, the patient’s cancer death rate increased, but no clear type of cancer has yet been identified. Did not say how many patients this study included, FDA spokesperson declined to comment. However, they added that as early as the 2001 study, it was found that patients who used Regranex had higher rates of cancer than those who did not use the drug.

However, the FDA also added that, in fact, there is also a risk of leg and foot ulcers that are not cured by diabetics themselves. Therefore, for each diabetic foot patient, it is necessary to first weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using Regranex, and then decide whether use.

A spokeswoman for Regranex's manufacturing division at Johnson & Johnson said that the use of Regranex in accordance with the guidelines is safe and the company is actively dealing with the incident with the FDA. However, when requested to provide more detailed information, the spokeswoman did not respond immediately.

As a result, Johnson & Johnson’s shares in the New York market dropped by 8 cents.

Diabetic patients have excessive amounts of sugar in their blood, and their feet feel diminished due to nerve damage, which can easily lead to leg and foot trauma. Regranex was approved by the United States in 1997 for the treatment of foot ulcers in diabetic patients.