Background: this study reports on the effectiveness of sitagliptin in Asian Indian type 2 diabetes patients seen at a tertiary diabetes care center who had inadequate glycemic control with oral hypoglycemic agents either alone or in combination, compared to a group of patients who received insulin glargine.
Patients and methods: patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (n = 2,817) whose glycemia was not controlled adequately (glycated hemoglobin >6.5%) with oral hypoglycemic agents (either alone or in combination) received oral sitagliptin 100 mg once daily in addition to existing therapy for a period of 24 weeks. Patients who received insulin glargine as add-on therapy (n = 2,743) served as the reference group. Data analysis included glycated hemoglobin, fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, body weight, and the occurrence of hypoglycemia.
Results: significant reductions in glycated hemoglobin and fasting plasma glucose values were noted after 24 weeks of additional sitagliptin therapy that were comparable to those with insulin glargine. While sitagliptin addition resulted in a small weight loss (0.3 kg), insulin glargine addition resulted in a weight gain (0.7 kg). The overall incidence of adverse experiences was low and generally mild in both groups.
Conclusions: in a large group of Asian Indian type 2 diabetes patients seen at a tertiary diabetes center in whom glycemia was not controlled adequately by oral hypoglycemic agents (either alone or in combination), addition of sitagliptin helped to achieve glycemic control to a similar extent as insulin glargine but with a marginal weight advantage.