A comparative effectiveness study of major glycemia-lowering medication for T2DM treatment

There has been an increase in glucose-lowering medications with an increase in the prevalence of diabetes worldwide. Hence a GRADE study was conducted under the title “A comparative effectiveness study of major glycemia-lowering medication for T2DM treatment”. the summary of this study is given below:

Objective:

To compare commonly used diabetes drugs in combination with metformin on their effect in lowering glycemia as well as patient-centered outcomes. The main outcome was to assess the time to the first HbA1c of 7% at a quarterly visit.

Method:

5047 Subjects of at least 30 years old with HbA1c > 6.8 % with T2DM duration of fewer than 5 years are being enrolled in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to receive sulfonylurea, DPP-4 inhibitor, GLP-1 analog, and insulin.

Findings:

Out of all medications included, insulin and liraglutide were found to be most effective in controlling HbA1c. Additionally, average participants treated with sitagliptin and liraglutide were observed to have more weight loss than those treated with glimepiride. Liraglutide had more gastrointestinal side effects such as abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea than the other three medications.

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