A new diabetes drug could be more effective than the traditional medicines in terms of weight gain, heart attack and stroke, according to a new study.
At present, metformin is the most common drug used to treat diabetes. However, its effects may not be permanent, and some patients are given an additional medicine from the class of drugs known as sulphonylureas. But those drugs have severe drawbacks, including weight gain and hypoglycemia, risk factors for heart attack and stroke.
The new drug, lenagliptin, which was developed in German, has none of those side effects, researchers said. The study, funded by the drug’s manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim, covered 1,500 people from 16 countries who suffer from Type 2 diabetes.
But the drug is expensive and that may mean a continue used of sulphonylureates.
Another study is being conducted to see if the new drug is worth the extra money.
The study was published online in the British medical journal “The Lancet.”
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