Nordic registry study finds no link between semaglutide and pancreatic cancer
A manufacturer-funded registry study from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, presented at EASD 2026, found no link between semaglutide and pancreatic cancer.
By the RetaRadar team · Updated 30 September 2026
A study using nationwide health registry data from Denmark, Sweden and Norway has found no link between semaglutide and pancreatic cancer. The findings are being presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy, which runs from 28 September to 2 October 2026. They were announced in an EASD press release on 29 September 2026.
The release describes semaglutide as a GLP-1 receptor agonist used to treat type 2 diabetes and for weight management. It is one of the most widely prescribed medicines in its class, including in the UK. That gives any new safety data on it a wide audience.
What the study looked at
The research is presented by Professor Anton Pottegård of the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, and colleagues. The team drew on registry data covering the whole populations of the three Scandinavian countries. They looked at whether semaglutide use was associated with a higher risk of pancreatic cancer.
The work is a post-authorisation study. This means a regulator required it after semaglutide had been approved. Studies of this kind are one way regulators keep collecting safety evidence once a medicine is in everyday use, rather than relying only on the trials that supported its approval.
The study was funded by the manufacturer of semaglutide.
We have not been able to verify several details, so we do not report them here. These include the number of people included, the length of follow-up, the group semaglutide users were compared with, the precise risk estimates and the period the data cover. We will update this article if the full abstract or a published paper confirms them.
Why the authors say the result holds up
According to the EASD release, the researchers point to three features of their results that support their conclusion.
- No rise with greater exposure. The risk of pancreatic cancer did not go up among people who had used more semaglutide in total, or who had used it for longer. If a medicine caused a cancer, researchers would usually expect to see some sign of risk rising with exposure.
- Consistency between countries. The findings were the same in Denmark, Sweden and Norway when each country was analysed separately.
- Agreement across further checks. A range of additional and sensitivity analyses, designed to test whether the main result could be explained by the way the data were handled, pointed the same way.
The authors say their findings are in line with other existing evidence. In the release, they say the results “further strengthen the evidence that semaglutide does not increase the risk of pancreatic cancer”.
Caveats to bear in mind
The result is reassuring, but there are several reasons to read it carefully.
First, it is an observational study. Registry research can follow very large numbers of people in real-world settings. However, it cannot rule out every difference between people who do and do not take a medicine. It can show whether an association exists, but it is not the same as a randomised trial.
Second, this is a conference presentation. It is not a full paper that has been through peer review and been published in a journal. Details may change or be added when a paper appears.
Third, the manufacturer paid for the study. Industry funding of post-authorisation safety studies is common and is often a regulatory requirement. It is still worth noting when weighing the evidence.
Finally, the study looked only at semaglutide. Its findings cannot be applied to other incretin-based medicines. That includes retatrutide, which is still an investigational compound and is not licensed in the UK. For background on where retatrutide stands, see our retatrutide explainer and our coverage of the TRIUMPH-2 results.
What it means for UK patients
Semaglutide is licensed in the UK. In a statement dated 11 June 2026, the MHRA approved Wegovy tablets for weight loss, as reported by The Pharmaceutical Journal. In January 2026 it also approved a further Wegovy regimen for adults with obesity. Many people in the UK are already prescribed the medicine, through the NHS or private providers. Our guide to Mounjaro and Wegovy on the NHS explains how access works.
For these patients, the Scandinavian data add to the evidence on one specific safety question. They do not change how the medicine should be prescribed or taken. Anyone who is worried about side effects, or about their own risk of cancer, should speak to their GP, prescriber or a registered pharmacist. Do not stop or change treatment on your own.
These findings apply to licensed semaglutide supplied through proper channels. They say nothing about the safety of products bought from unregulated sources, whose contents may not match their labels. The MHRA has repeatedly warned about such products, as covered in our article on fake and unlicensed weight-loss jabs.