Strong data for Merck & Co's sitagliptin plus metformin

The UK unit of US drug major Merck & Co says that new, one-year clinical trial data show that initial combination therapy with its novel drug sitagliptin and the commonly-prescribed agent metformin significantly improves blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes patients versus metformin monotherapy.

According to new data presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held in Amsterdam, the Nertherlands, up to 67% of patients with type 2 diabetes on both drugs achieved an HbA1c of under 7% at 54 weeks, compared to only 44% on metformin alone.

The study also demonstrated a mean HbA1c reduction from baseline of 1.8% in those given an initial regimen of sitagliptin 50mg plus metformin 1,000mg twice daily. Mean HbA1c reductions from baseline were 1.4% in patients on sitagliptin 50mg/metformin 500mg twice daily, 1.3% in patients treated with metformin 1,000mg twice daily, 1.0% in subjects treated with metformin 500mg twice daily, and 0.8% in people given sitagliptin 100mg once daily for up to 54 weeks. The drug, a first-in-class oral dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, is indicated in the UK for type 2 diabetes as an addition to metformin or a thiazolidinedione, when either therapy plus diet and exercise fails to achieve results.