Sulfonylureas
Except for insulin, sulfonylureas and biguanides are the best studied and most widely used glucose-lowering agents. However, neither class of drugs has had an easy life because of concern about safety - Matthew C. Riddle
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Sulfonylureas for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Still an Option
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GoodRx
Sulfonylureas are used to lower blood sugar levels to treat diabetes type 2 by increasing insulin production in the pancreas.
For Diabetes Drugs, Old and Cheap Are Good
Also reviewed in the study was an old class of drugs called sulfonylureas and several newer classes, including TZDs, the class that includes GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia.
Linagliptin And Glimepiride Compared In Type Two Diabetes
Usually, patients who do not respond to metformin alone are offered a class of drugs known as sulphonylureas in addition to their ongoing metformin treatment. However, sulphonylureas – which work by stimulating the cells in the pancreas to make more insulin, independently of blood glucose levels – can lead to hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels)* and weight gain, which put patients at increased risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as reducing their quality of life.
Modern Sulfonylureas: Dangerous or Wrongly Accused?
Except for insulin, sulfonylureas and biguanides are the best studied and most widely used glucose-lowering agents. However, neither class of drugs has had an easy life because of concern about safety.
Pharmacologic Differences of Sulfonylureas and the Risk of Adverse Cardiovascular and Hypoglycemic Events
Sulfonylureas have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse events and hypoglycemia, but it is unclear if these risks vary with different agents.
Should Sulfonylureas Remain an Acceptable First-Line Add-on to Metformin Therapy in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes? No, It’s Time to Move On!
Since their introduction to clinical practice in the 1950s, sulfonylureas have been widely prescribed for use in patients with type 2 diabetes. Of all the other medications currently available for clinical use, only metformin has been used more frequently. However, several new drug classes have emerged that are reported to have equal glucose-lowering efficacy and greater safety when added to treatment of patients in whom metformin monotherapy is no longer sufficient. Moreover, current arguments also suggest that the alternative drugs may be superior to sulfonylureas with regard to the risk of cardiovascular complications.
Sulfonylurea Stimulation of Insulin Secretion
Sulfonylureas are widely used to treat type 2 diabetes because they stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. They primarily act by binding to the SUR subunit of the ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel and inducing channel closure.
Sulfonylureas and their use in clinical practice
Despite the large number of anti-diabetic agents available, however, sulfonylureas remain the most widely used drugs for treating patients with type 2 diabetes.
Sulfonylureas as second line drugs in type 2 diabetes and the risk of cardiovascular and hypoglycaemic events: population based cohort study
Our study assessed the cardiovascular and hypoglycaemic risk associated with the use of sulfonylureas as second line drugs. Among metformin initiators, adding or switching to sulfonylureas was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, all cause mortality, and severe hypoglycaemia, compared with patients remaining on metformin.
Sulfonylureas for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Still an Option
Prescribing of sulfonylureas, generally as add-on therapy when metformin alone does not achieve adequate glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes, has been decreasing in recent years.
ScienceDirect
SUs are predicted to promote insulin secretion via multiple mechanisms, including binding to the SUR1 subunit of β-cell K+ATP channels and activation of Epac2, a cAMP binding protein that triggers the activation of Rap1.
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