Optimizing glycemic control: clinical utility of exenatide prolonged release injection

Abstract

Abstract:Despite the large variety of antidiabetic drugs currently available, reaching an adequate glycemic control is still difficult. Recently, a new exenatide long acting release (LAR) formulation, which can be administered once a week, has been released. We conducted a review analyzing the clinical utility of this new formulation and its place in antidiabetic therapy, and included the most important studies about exenatide LAR in the latest 10 years. A systematic search strategy was developed to identify randomized controlled trials in both MEDLINE and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. The terms "exenatide," "exenatide long active release," "GLP-1 agonists," "incretins," and "glycemic control" were incorporated into an electronic search strategy that included the Dickersin filter for randomized controlled trials. We concluded that exenatide LAR can be a valid option for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus because it showed to be effective in reducing HbA 1c , and because of its pleiotropic effects, such as the reduction of blood pressure, the improvement of the patient's lipid profile, and the positive effects on body weight and β-cell function. Moreover, exenatide LAR has demonstrated a favorable cost/effectiveness ratio, and its once weekly administration may help to increase patient compliance.

State of the art paper Sulfonylureas and their use in clinical practice

“…Many anti-diabetic drugs with different mechanisms of action are now available to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus, including sulfonylureas, glinides, thiazolidinediones [ 1 , 2 ], biguanides [ 3 ], and α-glucosidase inhibitors [ 4 , 5 ]. Recently, incretin-related drugs, such as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors [ 6 , 7 ], and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists [ 8 , 9 ], have been developed. Despite the large number of anti-diabetic agents available, however, sulfonylureas remain the most widely used drugs for treating patients with type 2 diabetes [ 10 ].…”