Are vildaglipton and insulin used together better for treating type 2 diabetes?

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) typically use insulin treatment at some point to control their blood sugar levels. One issue with insulin treatment is that it can result in hypoglycemia (when blood sugar levels go too low) when too much insulin is taken, or when too little food is eaten.

Vildagliptin is an oral drug often used to control blood sugar levels without causing hypoglycemia. It may decrease the dose and frequency of insulin injections needed. The long-term effectiveness and safety of oral vildagliptin used alongside insulin injections is unknown.

This study included 73 T2D patients treated with insulin. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with vildagliptin or other drugs for glucose control (such as metformin). HbA1c levels (average blood glucose levels over 3 months), dose and number of insulin injections, and the number of hypoglycemic episodes experienced were monitored.

HbA1c levels decreased significantly (from 8.0% to 7.4%) in the vildaglipton group, and the lower levels were maintained for the two years. The dose of insulin injections were also reduced (by 5.6 units in the vildagliptin group, compared to no changes in the other group). Patients in the vildagliptin group were 72% less likely to experience hypoglycemia than patients in the other treatment group.

The study concluded that vildagliptin as an add-on treatment to insulin was safe and well-tolerated and led to reduced HbA1c levels, reduced dosage of insulin injections needed, and a lower risk of hypoglycemia.

The study comprised a small sample size.