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TYPE-2 DIABETES DRUGS FAIL TO IMPROVE MOST SERIOUS LONG-TERM COMPLICATIONS

January 26, 2010

Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter, February 2010

Are the drugs prescribed for Type 2 diabetes effective? The answer to this question depends on how the word "effective" is defined.

Below is a list of the 16 drugs, in 9 different pharmacologic classes, that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the management of Type 2 diabetes. All of these drugs were approved because they lower blood sugar (glucose) and glycated hemoglobin, or hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in the blood. HbA1c is used to gauge the average blood sugar level over a period of time. Both of these tests are used to diagnose, monitor, and are the basis to approve new drugs to treat Type 2 diabetes.

 

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  • Why do patients and physicians mistakenly believe that drugs are the best way to treat type-2 diabetes?
  • What medications are approved to treat type-2 diabetes?
  • How should type-2 diabetes be treated?   

View more resources on type-2 diabetes. 

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The information on this website is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult your doctor before changing or discontinuing any medication.