A press release issued today by Depomed, Inc. and Santarus, Inc says that according to the clinical trial results, patients previously intolerant of metformin may be able to tolerate higher efficacious doses of metformin when treated with GLUMETZA, with fewer gastrointestinal side effects. GLUMETZA is a once-daily, extended release formulation of metformin, and is approved for use in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Notably:
- Patients treated with GLUMETZA versus other metformin products were able to use a higher mean maximum tolerated dose (1477 mg vs. 1204 mg, respectively).
- Overall, 95.4% of patients treated with GLUMETZA tolerated at least 1000 mg; 42.5% of patients tolerated up to 2000 mg of GLUMETZA.
- The incidence of GI adverse events, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, GI upset, and nausea, was lower with GLUMETZA than with previous metformin formulations (38% vs. 88%, respectively).
These findings are important as the dosage of metformin needed to manage diabetes effectively often causes troubling gastrointestinal side effects. Metformin has long been considered the gold standard first line therapy to treat type 2 diabetes.
