MANILA, Philippines—“Diabetes is a growing epidemic in the Philippines that shows no sign of slowing down. There are various complications attributable to diabetes and diabetes morbidity and mortality are expected to rise if we will not be able to manage and treat the disease,” said Dr. Araceli Panelo, executive director of the UERM Institute for Studies on Diabetes Foundation (ISDF) during a press meeting hosted by pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD).
“Complications linked to type 2 diabetes include coronary heart disease, kidney failure, diabetic foot disease, nerve damage, stroke, hypertension, depression and reduced quality of life. As doctors, we are happy that new advances in the management of type 2 diabetes are continuously being developed to bring hope to patients and their families.”
According to Dr. Panelo, agents that improve glucose control without producing hypoglycemia and weight gain will address the need that has been unmet by the traditional antidiabetes agents.
Important breakthrough
“DPP-4 inhibitors are an important breakthrough. They represent an innovative and different approach to treating diabetes, a disease that is rapidly increasing in prevalence and exacting huge costs on a personal and global level. A lot of patients being treated are not achieving target blood sugar levels, suggesting that current therapies have significant limitations,” said Dr. Sjoberg Kho, a known endocrinologist and consultant at the UST Hospital.
He said “the recent approval of sitagliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor, in combination with metformin, is an exciting new option that can effectively lower blood sugar levels with fewer unwanted side effects (such as hypoglycemia and weight gain) often associated with existing diabetes medicines.”
Well tolerated
In fact, he added that “in a large controlled clinical trial, patients taking sitagliptin plus metformin lost weight compared to patients taking glipizide plus metformin who gained weight. Also, this new combination medicine was well tolerated in large controlled clinical trials. The combination of a DPP-4 inhibitor and metformin can benefit many diabetic patients.”
The Sitagliptin/Metformin combination makes more convenient a comprehensive approach to diabetes treatment, combining the modes of action of two effective therapies—the incretin action enhancement provided by a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor and the improved glucose utilization due to metformin.
DPP-4 inhibitors work by enhancing the body’s own ability to lower blood sugar (glucose). This breakthrough therapy enables physicians to deliver comprehensive coverage against the core defects of type 2 diabetes.
