Abstract

After the introduction of dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors into the treatment for diabetes, these drugs have been widely used because of their capability and safety. Therefore, the clinical efficacy of linagliptin to sitagliptin was compared. Patients with type 2 diabetes, in whom pharmacological treatment was recently started, were randomly assigned to two separate groups, namely sitagliptin (50 mg/day) group and linagliptin (5 mg/day) group. A total of 42 patients (21 patients in each group), who received a single dose of their respective pharmacological agents, were evaluated in this study. The study primarily focused on changes in HbA1c levels before and 24 weeks after drug administration and effects of these drugs on renal function, liver function, and fat. Significant improvement in HbA1c levels (%) was found in both linagliptin and sitagliptin groups. Significant improvements were observed in low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in patients in the linagliptin group. Linagliptin offers a great potential in terms of improving effect on blood glucose and lipid profile. This study has demonstrated that linagliptin can be a valuable option in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Key words: Linagliptin, dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, type 2 diabetes, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).