Epidemiological Assessment of the Risk for Pancreatic Cancer Associated With the Use of Semaglutide in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes - A Cohort Study Based on Nordic Registry Data

June 9, 2026 updated by: Novo Nordisk A/S
The aim of this study is to evaluate whether exposure to semaglutide influences the risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes. This is achieved by estimating the risk of pancreatic cancer associated with semaglutide use as compared to use of other non-incretin antidiabetic drugs used at a similar stage as Ozempic® or Rybelsus® in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. A multi-national, non-interventional study based on health care data from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway is conducted covering the period 2018-2023. A cohort study design is used comparing new users of semaglutide with new users of other antidiabetic drugs used at a similar stage as Ozempic® or Rybelsus® in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (active comparators). Active comparators will include the following non-incretin antidiabetic agents: sulphonylureas, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, and insulin subdivided into i) basal insulin only and ii) basal + bolus insulin or premix insulin. Propensity scores are used to match new users of semaglutide with new users of active comparators. National prescription-, cancer- and patient registries are used to identify exposure to antidiabetic agents, pancreatic cancer cases, and covariates to be used in propensity score matching. This study is a post-authorisation safety study (PASS).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
194928

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Denmark
      • Odense, Denmark, 5000
        • University of Southern Denmark

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The risk of pancreatic cancer is compared in a cohort of first-time ever users of semaglutide relative to a cohort of first-time ever users of the other antidiabetic drugs used at a similar stage as Ozempic® or Rybelsus® in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Use of semaglutide or initiation of active comparators from when the first subject is dispensed semaglutide in the respective country (2018) until December 31, 2022. Initiation is defined as no previous prescription of a drug with the same active ingredient in the past 10 years as recorded in the national prescription registries. Previous use of the same class of drug is however accepted. Further, a patient who shift from Ozempic® to Rybelsus® or vice versa will be considered a continued user in the semaglutide group.
  • At least two prescriptions of either semaglutide or active comparators (at the level of the active ingredient) with the second prescription filled less than one year after the initial prescription. Two prescriptions filled at first day of treatment will, however, only be counted as one prescription.
  • 18 years or older at the cohort entry date. The cohort entry date is defined as the dispensing date of the initial prescription (i.e. treatment initiation).
  • Ten years or more of continuous residency in the country of residence before initiation of semaglutide or active comparators.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients with rare but strong risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer are excluded. Therefore, patients with any history of the following conditions (identified according to 10th version of International Classification of Diseases [ICD-10]) before cohort entry date (based on the last 10 years of data or more) are excluded:

  • A history of any cancer except non-melanoma skin cancer
  • Acute pancreatitis
  • Alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis
  • Other chronic pancreatitis
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Other phacomatoses, not elsewhere classified (including Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome)
  • Neurofibromatosis (non-malignant, Von Recklinghausen disease)

In addition, the following patients are excluded:

  • Patients with a history of pancreatic cancer as these patients are no longer at risk for an incident pancreatic cancer
  • Patients who initially started insulin as first-line antidiabetic treatment and who did not add on or switch to non-insulin treatment within 3 months. Those initiating insulin as first-line treatment during the study period is disregarded in terms of study inclusion, although they may be included upon initiating additional therapy, provided it is started within three months.
  • Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Patients with gestational diabetes
  • Patients who meet one of the conditions used as exclusion criteria listed above (except acute and chronic pancreatitis) after cohort entry date but before start of follow-up (i.e. during the first year after treatment initiation)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Retrospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
semaglutide
New users of Ozempic® or Rybelsus®
Drug: Ozempic®
Patients have been treated with commercially available Ozempic® according to local label and to routine clinical practice at the discretion of the treating physician. The decision to initiate treatment with commercially available Ozempic® had been made by the patient/Legally Acceptable Representative (LAR) and the treating physician based on local label before and independently from the decision to include the patient in this study.
Drug: Rybelsus®
Patients have been treated with commercially available Rybelsus® according to local label and to routine clinical practice at the discretion of the treating physician. The decision to initiate treatment with commercially available Rybelsus® had been made by the patient/Legally Acceptable Representative (LAR) and the treating physician based on local label before and independently from the decision to include the patient in this study.
Active comparator
First-time ever users of an active comparator drug
Drug: Active Comparator
Patients have been treated with commercially available active comparators according to local label and to routine clinical practice at the discretion of the treating physician. Active comparators will include the following antidiabetic agents: sulphonylureas, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, and insulin. The decision to initiate treatment with commercially available active comparators had been made by the patient/Legally Acceptable Representative (LAR) and the treating physician based on local label before and independently from the decision to include the patient in this study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Occurrence of first time malignant neoplasm of pancreas
Time Frame: From when semaglutide entered the market in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway (Q3/Q4 2018) until December 31, 2023
Incidence
From when semaglutide entered the market in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway (Q3/Q4 2018) until December 31, 2023

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Novo Nordisk A/S

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Southern Denmark

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Clinical Transparency (1452), Novo Nordisk A/S

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 26, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 25, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 25, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 30, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 30, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 1, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NN9535-4447
  • U1111-1214-6228 (Other Identifier: World Health Organization (WHO))
  • EUPAS37258 (Registry Identifier: EU PAS Register)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

According to the Novo Nordisk disclosure commitment on novonordisk-trials.com

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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