US Pharm. 2016;41(5):6.
Baltimore, MD—A recent analysis of 204 U.S. and international studies involving >1.4 million subjects suggests that metformin reduces the relative risk of death from heart disease by 30% to 40% compared with sulfonylureas. The meta-analysis examined drug effects and side effects such as glucose control in addition to cardiovascular disease and assessed antidiabetic drugs’ performance alone and in combination. “Metformin looks like a clear winner,” stated lead author Nisa Maruthur, MD, MHS. “This is likely the biggest bit of evidence to guide treatment of type 2 diabetes for the next two or three years.” The last meta-analysis was published in 2011, before the arrival of several new diabetes drugs and the publication of >100 new studies comparing the effectiveness of blood sugar–lowering drugs.
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