Two popular diabetes drugs outperformed others in large clinical trial - National Institutes of Health (.gov)

Blood glucose management is a key component of keeping people with type 2 diabetes healthy.

The trial was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health.

People with diabetes who keep their blood glucose levels in the near-normal range generally have a much lower risk of developing diabetes complications such as nerve, kidney, and eye diseases.

Most people with type 2 diabetes require more than one medication to control blood sugar levels over time. .

While there is general agreement among health care professionals that metformin combined with diet and exercise is the best early approach in diabetes care, there is no consensus on what to do next to best keep high blood glucose in check.

“This study was designed to provide health care providers with important information on how to guide the long-term management of type 2 diabetes,” said Dr.

“This is an integral step toward precision medicine for diabetes care, as these results can now be used in the decision-making process for each individual patient in light of their levels of glucose control, how well the medications are tolerated, and the person’s other health considerations.”.

The study enrolled 5,047 people with type 2 diabetes from diverse racial and ethnic groups who were already taking metformin.

Although average blood sugar levels decreased during the study, nearly three quarters of all participants were unable to maintain the blood glucose target over four years, underscoring the difficulty in maintaining recommended targets in many patients with type 2 diabetes.

“GRADE effectively shows which drugs worked best at achieving and maintaining blood glucose targets over time, but we need to establish even more effective strategies for the long-term maintenance of acceptable glucose levels,” said GRADE Study Chair Dr.

“We still have more work to do, such as evaluating other interventions and treatment combinations to help people with type 2 diabetes achieve long-term glucose control.” .

“With many treatment options available for type 2 diabetes, health care providers and patients can find it difficult to know which drug is best for which person,” said NIDDK Director Dr

“NIDDK stands uniquely poised to support comparative effectiveness trials like GRADE to help providers make evidence-based recommendations that lead to better health for their patients, and for all people living with type 2 diabetes.”

A now-available type of diabetes drug called SGLT2 inhibitors was not approved by the FDA at the launch of GRADE recruitment and was not included in the study

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)