Domestic original new diabetes drug, Sitagliptin, reduces blood sugar and lipids with low side effects

A friend asked Huazi, he saw the announcement from the State Food and Drug Administration that a new diabetes treatment drug, sitagliptin, which was independently developed by my country and has independent intellectual property rights, has been launched on the market. What type of hypoglycemic drug is this?

Hua Zi said that Siglitstat is the world's first full peroxisome proliferator receptor (PPAR) agonist. From the perspective of pharmacological effects, Siglitstat is similar to insulin sensitizer thiazolidinedione (TZD) drugs, but its effects are more comprehensive. It can not only lower blood sugar, but also regulate blood lipids, and has fewer side effects.

1. Many diabetic patients do not lack insulin. In many people's impression, diabetes means that the body secretes less insulin. However, many patients with type 2 diabetes can secrete insulin normally, but the sensitivity of tissue cells in the body to insulin decreases, that is, insulin resistance occurs, and the utilization of blood sugar is reduced, which leads to increased blood sugar.

The most common cause of insulin resistance is obesity. For some obese patients with type 2 diabetes, even with insulin injections, the blood sugar-lowering effect is very limited. However, after losing weight through diet control and increased exercise, blood sugar can be well controlled by oral medication alone.

2. Drugs to reduce insulin resistance However, some patients with type 2 diabetes still cannot reduce insulin resistance after diet control and increased exercise, so they need to use drugs to improve symptoms. Commonly used drugs to reduce insulin resistance include metformin (but the effect is weak) and thiazolidinedione (TZD) drugs (rosiglitazone, pioglitazone).

TZD drugs can stimulate the γ receptors in PPAR, increase the body's sensitivity to insulin, and reduce appetite. However, TZD drugs have many adverse reactions. They can cause weight gain when used, and may cause hypoglycemia when used in combination with other hypoglycemic drugs. They may also aggravate heart failure. Rosiglitazone may cause liver damage, and pioglitazone may increase the incidence of bladder cancer. There are many restrictions on their use.

3. Siglistatin can lower blood sugar and lipids. There are three subtypes of peroxisome proliferator receptors (PPAR), namely α, δ, and γ. Among them, PPAR-γ receptor is related to blood sugar regulation, while PPAR-α and PPAR-δ receptors are related to blood lipid regulation.

Sitagliptin, independently developed by my country, is the world's first PPAR full agonist to be marketed. It has stimulatory effects on the three subtypes of α, δ, and γ, and can not only lower blood sugar but also regulate blood lipids.

In the Phase III clinical trial, sitagliptin can reduce glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) by 1.32%~1.52%, and has a better control effect on fasting blood sugar, postprandial blood sugar, insulin resistance index, triglycerides, free fatty acids, etc.

4. Sitagliptin has fewer side effects. In terms of drug safety, Sitagliptin has an activating effect on the three subtypes of PPAR α, δ, and γ, which can balance the glycolipid regulation of the three subtypes and avoid the potential side effects caused by the single activation of the γ subtype. In terms of common side effects such as edema and weight gain, Sitagliptin is significantly lower than traditional TZD drugs.

In the ongoing multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial, the adverse reactions caused by sitagliptin were comparable to those in the placebo group. In other words, while sitagliptin exerted its glucose-lowering and lipid-regulating effects, it did not increase adverse reactions and had a very good safety profile.

In summary, insulin resistance is a common cause of type 2 diabetes, and improving insulin resistance is the core requirement for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, traditional TZD drugs have significant side effects, which limits their application. Sitagliptin, independently developed in my country, can not only lower blood sugar, but also regulate blood lipids, with low side effects and good safety, bringing more options for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Drugs should be used under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.