Early basal insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes achieves glycemic control better than sitagliptin, but with greater risk of hypoglycemia

Adding basal insulin (insulin glargine) as a second-line treatment after metformin is superior to adding sitagliptin in achieving glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to study data presented at the 72^nd Annual (2012) Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

“The results of this study support the option of introducing basal insulin (glargine) in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by metformin, with the potential for long-term benefits arising from the achievement of optimum glycemic control early in the course of the disease,” said the study’s co-investigator Pablo J. Aschner, MD, MSc, professor of medicine, endocrinology unit, Javeriana University, Bogotá, Columbia.

The International Diabetes Federation estimated that 61.3 million people in India had diabetes in 2011, and that number is expected to rise to 101.2 million...