Conference considers diabetes combination therapy

Tuesday May 23rd, 2017

Combination therapy should become more common for type 2 diabetes; a European conference will be told today.

The issue is to be debated at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Lisbon, Portugal.

Professor Stefano Del Prato, from the University of Pisa, Italy, will support the use of combination treatments, arguing that it will reduce the rate of complications from the treatment.

He says that stepwise approach to treatment leaves patients with high blood sugar levels for too long.

Using one drug will tackle just one of the "interlinked" processes that control blood sugar, he says.

Professor Del Prato said: “The diabetic population is growing out of control, and there is an increasing number of people, diabetic or not, with unsatisfactory blood sugar control.

“A more proactive drug combination approach could help to control levels of sugar in blood from earlier stages of the disease, minimising complications.”

But Dr Dídac Mauricio, of University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Spain, will call for a more cautious approach.

He will warn of safety issues from attempting to use a "one combination fits all" approach.

He said: “Initial combination therapy may be considered as a suitable choice for some patients or circumstances, however the evidence favouring this combinatory initial option is still insufficient.

“Personalising an initial drug combination to each patient would be an effective treatment, but it is uncertain whether this strategy is going to be cost effective."

Tags: Diabetes | Europe | Pharmaceuticals

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