A real-world, observational study of a new drug therapy for control of Type 2 Diabetes

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Dapagliflozin is a ‘sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor’, a medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes which works by reducing glucose and sugar reabsorption in the kidney and results in excess blood sugar excreted in the urine.  In a new study published in the journal Diabetologia, IGMM researchers in the Colhoun group have used a large Scottish database called ‘SCI-Diabetes’ to measure the effect of dapagliflozin in patients treated with this medicine in routine clinical practice (by their GPs or diabetes specialists) compared to those who are not.

By monitoring levels of a biomarker HbA1c, a blood measure of long-term blood sugar control, as well as BMI, blood pressure and kidney function, the team were able to show that dapagliflozin causes HbA1c levels to fall and to stay lower compared to those not taking the drug.  Use of the medication also lead to falls in both blood pressure and weight with these effects persisting over time. Results on the safety of the drug indicated that taking the medicine doesn’t appear to damage the kidney nor was it associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

These real-world data, in patients prescribed the drug in day-to-day clinical practice including both on- and off-license users, are consistent with findings from clinical trials but include a more heterogeneous population.

Professor Helen Colhoun

Links

Journal Article:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-018-4806-9

Prof. Helen Colhoun's Group