There are now four agents in the new class of glucose-lowering agents called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4 inhibitors) available in the UK. They are, in order of launch in the…
Prescribing DPP-4 inhibitors – Are there clinically relevant differences?
There are now four agents in the new class of glucose-lowering agents called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4 inhibitors) available in the UK. They are, in order of launch in the…
How effective are SGLT-2 inhibitors in treating diabetes?
Dr David Haslam, chair of the UK’s National Obesity Forum, provides a useful review of SGLT-2 inhibitors and their ability to lower glucose level, body weight and blood pressure in…
Advice for patients taking ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers and coronavirus infection
It has been suggested Hypertension (high blood pressure) may be associated with increased risk of death in hospitalised Coronavirus infected subjects. On non-medical social media sites and some newspapers it…
New glucose-lowering therapies for diabetes: a review
…A further new class of glucose-lowering agents, the sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, is likely to be launched in the next year or two. So much activity in glucose…
Introducing dapagliflozin for type 2 diabetes
…glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, this new preparation works on the kidneys to lower blood glucose. What does this new drug have to offer and how can it potentially help…
Blood Clotting: How do Drugs Affect it?
Haemostasis is essentially the fine balance between activators and inhibitors that control the production of the protein tangle that makes up a blood clot. A range of drugs can interfere…
Sitagliptin: the first in a new class of drugs for type 2 diabetes
Sitagliptin (trade name Januvia) is the first in a new class of drugs for diabetes – the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. This new, oral hypoglycaemic agent has recently been approved…
PCSK9 inhibition in lipid management
…– have recently been licensed. This paper reviews the current status of lipid management, the actions of PCSK9, and the clinical trial results achieved with PCSK9 inhibitors in early studies….
New drugs and where they fit in the treatment algorithm
…Clinical Guideline 66 on the management of type 2 diabetes that was published last year. These newer agents include the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)…
Lipid lowering: Working with patients to take their tablets
The benefits of lipid modification therapy in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk have been well recognised since the advent of effective treatments, including the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). Use of…
Aliskiren: the first direct renin inhibitorxfor hypertension
Aliskiren (Rasilez) is the first in a new class of medicines – the direct renin inhibitors – to treat high blood pressure to become available in more than a decade….
