Linagliptin: New Drug for Diabetes 2 Patients

New drug, Linagliptin for type II diabetes. This drug results in less weight gain than the most common second line drugs mostly used today. Plus it carries a smaller risk of cardiovascular accidents and heart attacks.

They type II diabetes once called as non insulin diabetes is the most common form of diabetes affecting around 347 million people worldwide. Till date metformin is the only effective drug prescribed for patients suffering type II diabetes. But this drug can become ineffective over the period of time for many patients.

Now we have a new drug, Linagliptin for type II diabetes. This drug results in less weight gain than the most common second line drugs mostly used today. Plus it carries a smaller risk of cardiovascular accidents and heart attacks.

The team of German and U.S researchers conducted a study which took place over two years in 16 different countries involving more than 1,500 patients with type 2 diabetes who had not achieved normal glucose regulation through the use of metformin alone. They wanted to observe the effects of linagliptin versus glimepiride. This is one of the widely used sulphonylureas class of drug given to patients who stop reacting to metaformin.

The effectiveness of the drugs were similar, the study showed the side effects of linagliptin were much less severe than those of glimepiride. The researchers found that 7 percent of patients on linagliptin experienced hypoglycemia, compared to 38 percent of patients treated with glimepiride. The patients on linagliptin also had fewer heart attacks and strokes compared to those being treated with glimepiride.

Sulphonylureas  with glimepiride leads to hypoglycaemia and weight gain, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as reducing the quality of life. This is the first detailed study done on the new drug after it received is licence in the year 2011.

According to study co-author Baptist Gallwitz, of Tubingen University Hospital, "since hypoglycemia can have substantial negative clinical consequences in terms of risk for death, illness, mental function and poor quality of life, preventing it is crucial component of any diabetes management programme. "