Diabetes mellitus (diabetes) is a chronic and insidious disease affecting more than 20 million Americans, approximately 7% of the population. Within the last 1 to 2 years, three new antihyperglycemic agents have been approved: pramlintide, exenatide, and sitagliptin. These agents offer mechanisms of glycemic control beyond that of "traditional" oral agents and insulin by targeting alternate gluco-regulatory receptors and hormones such as amylin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4). The purpose of this review was to compare the effectiveness and harms of newer diabetes medications for persons with diabetes mellitus.

Contents

• Introduction
  Susan L. Norris, MD, MPH, MSc, Nancy J. Lee, PharmD, BCPS, Susan Severance, MPH, Sujata Thakurta, MPA, HA, Benjamin Chan, MS, and Mark Helfand, MD, MPH.
  • Scope and Key Questions
• Methods
  • Literature Search
  • Study Eligibility
  • Data Abstraction
  • Validity Assessment
  • Data Synthesis
  • Peer Review and Public Comment
• Results
  • Pramlintide
  • Exenatide
  • Sitagliptin
• References
• Appendixes
  • Appendix A. Search strategies
  • Appendix B. Quality assessment methods for drug class reviews for the Drug Effectiveness Review Project
  • Appendix C. Excluded Studies
  • Appendix D. Abbreviations
• Evidence Tables

The funding source, the Center for Evidence-based Policy, is supported by 14 organizations, including 13 state Medicaid programs. These organizations selected the topic and had input into the Key Questions for this review. The content and conclusions of the review are entirely determined by the Evidence-based Practice Center researchers. The authors of this report have no financial interest in any company that makes or distributes the products reviewed in this report.

Suggested citation:

Norris SL, Lee NJ, Severance S, Thakurta S. Drug class review on newer drugs for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. 2008. http://www.ohsu.edu/drugeffectiveness/reports/final.cfm

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has not yet seen or approved this report.

The purpose of this report is to make available information regarding the comparative effectiveness and safety profiles of different drugs within pharmaceutical classes. Reports are not usage guidelines, nor should they be read as an endorsement of, or recommendation for, any particular drug, use, or approach. Oregon Health & Science University does not recommend or endorse any guideline or recommendation developed by users of these reports.