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April 22nd, 2010

Liraglutide Beats Sitagliptin in Glucose Control

Liraglutide Beats Sitagliptin in Glucose Control: A once-daily injection of the GLP-1 analog liraglutide was superior to the DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin in reducing glucose levels in type-2 diabetics already taking metformin. The report by Richard Pratley and colleagues on more than 600 patients enrolled in the parallel-group, open-label trial appears in the Lancet. Liraglutide also resulted in greater weight loss. In an accompanying comment, André Scheen and Régis Radermecker observe that some patients may prefer sitagliptin because it has fewer gastrointestinal side effects and does not require an injection.

Categories: General


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4 Responses to “Liraglutide Beats Sitagliptin in Glucose Control”

  1. Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM says:
    April 26, 2010 at 9:29 pm

    what about outcomes??

    I just wonder whether we are getting past the time where it is enough to know that a drug improves glucose control – isn’t the question really about outcomes?

  2. Larry Husten, PHD says:
    April 27, 2010 at 3:35 pm

    Liraglutide for weight loss?

    Harlan, curious to know what you think about using this drug for weight loss, as reported last year in the Lancet (http://cardiobrief.org/2009/10/22/lancet-liraglutide-shows-considerable-promise-in-weight-loss-trial/). Is that a surrogate endpoint or a legitimate outcome? Suppose it really does lower glucose AND reduce excess poundage?

  3. Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM says:
    April 27, 2010 at 9:03 pm

    dubious

    At this point I am concerned about the weight loss drugs. Not one has really achieved what was promised. I suppose it could be worth a trial — but what about the cancer risk with this drug? Is that real?

  4. Larry Husten, PHD says:
    April 30, 2010 at 11:44 am

    how dubious?

    Let me push you a bit here: if they could demonstrate reasonable safety would weight loss in itself be a valid outcome, or would you need to show CV benefit?

    My own view– perhaps biased for personal reasons– is that weight loss is more than a surrogate endpoint like BP, lipids, glucose, etc, but is not equivalent to a MACCE endpoint. Does that make sense?