Metformin is the most widely used medication for type 2 diabetes patients but there are some patients who don’t respond to that drug. A new study looks at a second-line of treatment that might help treat these patients. The new drug, linagliptin, results in less weight gain than other second-line drugs and also carries a smaller risk of cardiovascular accidents and heart attacks says the study published in Lancet.
Diabetes affects 10% of the world population and though metformin is the most widely used drug to treat diabetes it can become ineffective in the long term. . Those who do not respond to metformin alone are offered an additional drug known as sulphonylureas.
However, sulphonylureas can lead to hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar levels, and weight gain, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke. “Since hypoglycaemia have substantial negative clinical consequences in terms of cognitive function, mortality… and quality of life, its prevention is a crucial component of any diabetes management programme ,” said study author professor Baptist Gallwitz of Tubingen University Hospital in Germany.
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