Let people with diabetes choose their own medication, researchers say – DiabetesTimes.co.uk

A largescale new study offers a new approach to treating type 2 diabetes by putting people living with the condition in charge of their own medication.
The TriMaster study is the first to allow people with type 2 diabetes to choose their own medication, after trying three different drugs in succession. It concluded the approach could be a new way of finding the best treatment.
Researchers at the University of Exeter led the Medical Research Council-funded study, which gave people with type 2 diabetes three commonly prescribed drugs, each for a 16-week period in turn.
During the study, researchers monitored the effect of each drug on the 448 peoples’ glucose levels, weight and recorded the side effects.
At the end of the study, now published in Nature Medicine, they got to choose the drug that worked best for them.
Their chosen drug not only lowered glucose most effectively, but also resulted in fewer side effects.
Lead author Dr Beverley Shields, of the University of Exeter, said: “Getting the right treatment for diabetes is fundamental to getting the best outcomes, and maintaining good quality of life.
“Our study is the first to invite people with type 2 diabetes to try common drugs in succession, to see which one works best for them.”
She added: “Interestingly, we found that the treatment people chose was usually the one which gave them best blood sugar control – even before they knew those results.”
Participant Tim Keehner, from North Devon, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 15 years ago. The marketing expert was enrolled into the study because his blood sugar was running too high.
He said: “I was given three drugs. The first two didn’t work for me at all – in fact, one of them made me feel even worse.

“Thankfully, from the first moment I took the third drug, I felt different – I had more energy, and I knew it was the right drug for me. I’m still on it today and I’m able to engage in all the sports I love – it’s fantastic.”
Type 2 diabetes affects more than four million people in the UK and is a major cause of illness and death.
It also accounts for 10 per cent of NHS expenditure. The problems associated with diabetes can be greatly reduced if the blood sugar levels are lowered.
A number of different drugs work to reduce blood sugar, and while overall they are similarly effective, individual people will vary in terms of how much the drug lowers their blood sugar and the side effects they have.
Diabetes consultant Professor Andrew Hattersley CBE, of the University of Exeter, who oversaw the research, said: “This is the first study in which the same person has tried three different types of glucose-lowering drug, enabling them to directly compare them and then choose which one is best for them.
“We’ve shown that going with the individual’s choice results in a better glucose control and fewer side effects than any other approach.”
He added: “When it’s not clear which drug is best to use, then people should try before they choose. Surprisingly, that approach has never been tried before.”
The three drugs given to participants in the trial were sitagliptin, canagliflozin, and pioglitazone.
Entitled ‘Patient preference for second/third line therapies in Type 2 diabetes: results from the TriMaster double blind randomised three-way crossover trial’, the paper is published in Nature Medicine.
Photo by danilo.alvesd on Unsplash
Register an account or login to comment
Diabetes UK issues latest guidance on coronavirus
People with diabetes urged to be ‘particularly stringent’ amid COVID-19 pandemic
NHS Drug Tariff approval for FreeStyle Libre System
Updated metformin and B12 guidance published
Criticism over Eatwell Plate amid calls for low carb approach
Type 1 man no longer requires insulin
Man commended for living with diabetes for 80 years
Warning over Lucozade sugar reduction
FreeStyle® Libre 2 includes optional real-time alarms
Novo Nordisk UK launches Ozempic® (semaglutide)
Let people with diabetes choose their own medication, researchers say
Diabetes footcare to take centre stage at national conference
Diabetes consultant appointed new ABCD Chair
Leicestershire professor presented with prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award
New kids on the block – how the latest pharmaceutical treatments are changing type 2 diabetes care
Oral insulin is an efficient treatment option for early-stage type 2 diabetes, study identifies
SGLT2 inhibitors combat kidney complications in adults, study reveals
Hyperglycaemia associated with root caries, study reveals
SGLT2 inhibitors reduces heart failure and increases lifespan of people with cancer and diabetes
GLP-1RA receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors beneficial for managing type 1 diabetes
Diabetes Specialist Nurse
Clinical Nurse Specialist – Diabetes
Consultant Nurse Diabetes
Consultant in Diabetes & Endocrinology
Specialist Diabetes Dietitian
Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology
Diabetes/Endocrinology Consultant
Diabetes Specialist Nurse
Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse
Diabetes Inpatient Specialist Nurse

The Diabetes Times © 2022

source