Type 2 diabetes drug turns 30
This year marks the 30th (pearl) anniversary of a medicine, the value and safety of which has been tested and proven in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) — gliclazide.
The problem of type 2 DM is rising worldwide. The World Health Organization projects an increase of 91 percent by 2025 in the Asian region.
A survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute shows that 4.6 percent of adult Filipinos have type 2 DM. Specialists now emphasize that the burden of diabetes also extends to the rise of heart disease.
The most common cause of death among type 2 DM patients is heart disease, accounting for 80 percent of mortality (National Diabetes Data Group. Diabetes in
Large trials such as the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) show the clear benefits of lowering blood sugar levels in terms of reducing mortality and the risks of developing complications.
Among the most effective, well-studied and safest drugs used were drugs that stimulate insulin secretion from the pancreas such as gliclazide.
Gliclazide effectively lowers blood sugar with much lesser incidence of hypoglycemia (very low sugar levels). It delays the progression of diabetes by prolonging the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin.
It also helps reduce oxidative stress to allow reduction in the progression of fat deposit build-up in the blood vessels (atherosclerosis) of diabetics.
Gliclazide is a prescription product and should only be taken upon a doctor’s advice.
- Latest
