Exenatide+dapagliflozin good treatment option after metformin for diabetes patients

The combination of exenatide once weekly (QW) plus dapagliflozin produced sustained improvements of systolic blood pressure, weight, and glycemia than exenatide QW or dapagliflozin alone in the patients with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled with metformin, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care.

Serge A. Jabbour, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, and colleagues conducted the study to investigate the safety and maintenance of efficacy of exenatide once weekly plus dapagliflozin compared with dapagliflozin or exenatide alone at 52 weeks, after a 24-week extension in T2D patients.

Combining an SGLT-2 inhibitor (Dapagliflozin) and a GLP-1 receptor agonist (Exenatide) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes is very appealing. These two classes of medications work in different and complementary ways to decrease hyperglycemia and promote weight loss. Moreover, since members of both classes have been shown to decrease risk for major adverse cardiovascular events, it has been speculated that combination of an SGLT-2 inhibitor and a GLP-1 receptor agonist would have additive or even synergistic effects to decrease CVD risk.

In this phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial, the investigators evaluated the efficacy and safety of exenatide once weekly plus dapagliflozin compared with dapagliflozin or exenatide alone in 695 patients with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled with metformin.

Also Read: Diabetes drug improves depression in Parkinson’s disease

Key Results:

• At 52 weeks, HbA_1c reductions were greater with exenatide QW plus dapagliflozin versus exenatide QW or dapagliflozin; mean HbA1c values were 6.9% (52 mmol/mol), 7.2% (55 mmol/mol), and 7.4% (57 mmol/mol), respectively.


• Weight and SBP reductions were greater with exenatide QW plus dapagliflozin versus exenatide QW but similar to those with dapagliflozin.


• The exenatide QW plus dapagliflozin regimen was well tolerated with no unexpected safety findings; more patients treated with exenatide QW experienced gastrointestinal and injection site-related adverse events.


• No major hypoglycemia occurred.

"Among patients with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled with metformin, exenatide QW plus dapagliflozin provided sustained improvements in glycemia, weight, and SBP over 52 weeks, with no unexpected safety findings," concluded the authors.

For further information log on to https://doi.org/10.2337/dc18-0680