Sitagliptin, a drug that increased insulin secretion, seems to be safe for diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease.
Glycemia has been commonly improved with the use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors in patients with chronic kidney disease, and their use is well tolerated. Sitagliptin is a drug pertaining to the class of DPP-4 inhibitors. Its effects are associated with better glycemic control by prolonging the action of the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP); however, there is limited information about the long-term safety and tolerability of sitagliptin.
To address this lack of information, researchers evaluated data from 14,528 subjects ≥ 50 years old with type 2 diabetes. The subjects were divided in two groups according to the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), where twenty three percent of the participants had CKD. Subsequently, the researchers compared several different outcomes between the groups with CKD and without CKD. The incidence of cardiovascular and adverse events such as malignancy, bone fracture, severe hypoglycemia, and diabetic complications were evaluated. It was found that the incidence of these events was higher in the group of patients with CKD when compared to those individuals without CKD.
Researchers also compared the incidence of diabetic-related complications like diabetic eye disease, neuropathy, and renal failure, among participants receiving sitagliptin and those receiving a placebo. A 3-year follow-up period identified similar incidence rates of diabetic (neuropathy, eye disease, renal failure, and severe hypoglycemia) and other complications (bone fracture, malignancy, and pancreatitis) between subjects who received or did not receive sitagliptin.
Researchers were able to conclude that a treatment based on sitagliptin did not cause significant adverse events and was well tolerated for the subjects with chronic kidney disease.
Written By: Vagner Raso
