Metformin is the standard first medication treatment of choice for people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. A group of researchers decided to examine whether metformin, which this year celebrates its 63rd anniversary as a type 2 diabetes treatment, continues to earn its spot as a key member of the diabetes medication “All-Star Team.” Read more

Many older patients with type 2 diabetes deal with polypharmacy — taking multiple medications for their diabetes and other conditions. Polypharmacy can be burdensome in various ways, including multiple side effects of the various medications. Researchers investigated whether the use of polypharmacy put elderly patients at increased risk for hospitalization, falls, and death from all […]

A recent phase 3 clinical trial on the diabetes drug sotagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, found it had favorable results for people living with severe renal impairment / chronic kidney disease.  Read more

Metformin is the first-line drug treatment for type 2 diabetes, but in some patients, the drug’s effectiveness can decline over time. A clinical trial has found that a combination of two newer diabetes drugs, exenatide and dapagliflozin, is effective in patients whose blood glucose levels did not respond to metformin. Read more

Patients with diabetes have a higher risk for developing pneumonia, including viral pneumonia. Since the DPP-4 protein plays a role in infection for some coronaviruses, researchers wanted to study whether using DPP-4 inhibitor diabetes drugs could increase risk for pneumonia. Read more

Uncontrolled or poorly controlled type 2 diabetes is linked to many serious consequences, including death, heart failure, stroke, and myocardial infarction. A recent study compared the use of two antidiabetic medications, SGLT-2 inhibitors (such as Invokana and Jardiance) and GLP-1 receptor agonists (such as Bydureon and Farxiga), to see if one offered better cardiovascular protection. […]

A class of drugs called Nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which has long used to treat HIV and hepatitis B viral infections, appears to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes in a substantial number of patients who take these drugs, according to a new data analysis. Read more

Cardiovascular issues in people with type 2 diabetes are approximately twice as common as in individuals without type 2. The results of a large trial, REWIND, suggest that dulaglutide (also called Trulicity) has cardioprotective properties.  Read more

Researchers examining the effects of combining the diabetes drugs canagliflozin, an SGLT2i, plus liraglutide, a GLP-1 RA, found that the combo was not much more effective than for lowering HBA1c than liraglutide alone, but the combo did have some weight loss benefits. Read more

The SGLT-2 inhibitors are a relatively new treatment for type 2 diabetes, and the authors of this study felt their use had not yet been adequately studied in the elderly. They examined the effect of one SGLT-2 inhibitor, dapagliflozin (brand name Farxiga) to assess its effects on blood glucose control and kidney health in senior […]

For most people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the first treatments to be prescribed (aside from lifestyle changes like diet and exercise) are metformin or sulfonylureas. If these do not achieve the desired result, doctors may add additional medications. New research says that there is reason to add the SGLT-2 inhibitor early, as the second […]

Recent diabetes guidelines have suggested giving type 2 diabetes patients newer glucose-lowering drugs like SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists, and DPP-4 inhibitors, earlier in preference to older drugs like metformin and the sulfonylureas, due to their many benefits. However, for Medicare recipients, the out-of-pocket costs for these drugs are much higher. Read more

Drugs from the SGLT2 inhibitor class of diabetes medications have shown benefit in slowing progression of diabetic kidney disease, with a reduced risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) noted in research trials. People at high risk of AKIs who may be considering SGLT2 treatment should discuss the risks and benefits with their doctors. Read more

The FDA has approved 2 additional doses of Eli Lilly’s Trulicity (dulaglutide) for treating type 2 diabetes. The approval of the new 3.0 mg and 4.5 mg doses of dulaglutide was based on clinical trial results showing benefits for A1C levels and weight loss. Read more

Surgical procedures cause both physical and mental stress on patients, and higher stress level is associated with an increased risk of complications and death. Researchers examined the effectiveness of metformin use before surgeries to reduce the risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes. Read more