U.S. researchers have reported that the older and less expensive medications for diabetes, working out to about $10 a month are equally effective as most of the newer and more expensive ones, at about $200 a month. These newer ones include the much-endorsed Avandia and Actos.
This review was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and is certain to leave the question of recommending some of the new drugs open to discussion.
Ten different diabetes drugs were studied and compared in the study. The researchers also studied 216 published studies and assessments. Since there was not enough data on the impact that these drugs had on major outcomes, such as death from heart disease, available, the researchers concentrated on how well the drugs controlled blood sugar levels.
It was then proven that those particular drugs all worked equally well in reducing sugar or glucose levels in one's blood.
From Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Shari Bolen and the team of researchers observed that the glitazones, metformin, and newer sulfonylureas all helped to reduce blood sugar equally well in time when used alone.
And they did not find any proof of truth in the report suggesting that one of the more recently manufactured drugs, GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Avandia, raised the odds of having heart attacks.
"Likewise, we found no statistically significant differences between specific oral diabetes medications in terms of cardiovascular outcomes other than congestive heart failure," they attested.
However the researchers also found at least one disadvantage to each of them.
"Most agents other than Metformin increased body weight by 1 to 5 kg" they observed.
They also found that while Metformin, one of the oldest and cheapest diabetes drugs, lowered low-density lipoprotein, or "bad cholesterol," the newer drugs Avandia and Actos, (marketed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. from Japan), raised high-density lipoprotein, often referred to as "good cholesterol."
The report attested that Glipizide, Glimepiride, Repaglinide, and Glyburide were capable of bringing blood sugar too low, whereas metformin and Acarbose were generally more likely than other drugs to cause gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea.
Three low-cost generics Metformin, Glipizide, and Glimepiride were recommended in the report as 'Best Buys' – in that they were as effective, as safe and as cost effective as any other drug used to treat diabetes.
As effective as any other diabetes drug at lowering blood sugar, Metformin does not stimulate weight gain, and also presents a low risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Weight gain and hypoglycemia are inconvenient effects from taking certain diabetes pills. Besides, most people on Metformin experience a slight lowering of their "bad" (LDL) cholesterol. The report advises people diagnosed with diabetes to consult their doctor before taking Metformin, as with any other drug, however.
Gail Shearer of Consumer Reports said, "This is truly significant information for the millions of people with diabetes struggling to control their disease, but also struggling with the high cost of their medications."
Dr. Carolyn Clancy, AHRQ Director commented, "As more people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and with the growing array of treatment choices, this is a landmark review."
