Ertugliflozin safe bet to lower blood sugar, BP and weight in elderly diabetics: Study
USA: The use of ertugliflozin can improve blood sugar, blood pressure, and body weight in both younger and older patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), a recent study in the journal Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism has suggested. According to the study, the use of ertugliflozin was well-tolerated regardless of age in T2D patients.
Ertugliflozin is used along with diet and exercise, and sometimes with other medications, to lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes . It belongs to a class of medications called sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and lowers blood sugar by causing the kidneys to get rid of more glucose in the urine.
Richard Pratley, Advent Health Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, Orlando, FL, USA, and colleagues aimed to assess the efficacy of ertugliflozin in controlling blood sugar levels and its safety in older patients with type 2 diabetes.
The study is a post hoc analysis of type 2 diabetes patients aged <65 and ≥65 years who participated in randomized, double‐blind phase III studies of ertugliflozin. Efficacy was evaluated in a pooled analysis of three placebo‐controlled studies (ertugliflozin monotherapy and add‐on therapy). Safety was evaluated in a pooled analysis of seven placebo‐ and active‐controlled studies (including those used for efficacy). Least‐squares (LS) mean change from baseline was calculated for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood sugar, body weight (BW), and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Safety evaluation included overall and prespecified adverse events (AEs).
Key findings of the study include:
- In participants aged <65 years, the placebo‐adjusted mean changes from baseline in HbA1c, BW and SBP with ertugliflozin 5 mg and 15 mg at Week 26 were: –0.9% and –1.0%; –1.9 kg and –1.8 kg; and –3.7 mmHg and –3.6 mmHg, respectively; in participants aged ≥65 years they were: –0.6% and –0.8%; –1.9 kg and –2.2 kg; and –2.7 mmHg and –3.4 mmHg, respectively.
- The incidences of AEs, serious AEs, discontinuations and deaths in participants aged <65 years and ≥65 years were generally similar across the treatment groups.
- In patients aged ≥65 years, the incidences of volume depletion AEs and genital mycotic infection were higher with ertugliflozin than with non‐ertugliflozin.
"Ertugliflozin improved glycaemic control, body weight, and systolic blood pressure in younger and older individuals with T2DM and was generally well-tolerated in both groups," concluded the authors.
The study, "Efficacy and safety of ertugliflozin in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A pooled analysis of phase III studies," is published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.14150
