Metformin still formidable first line treatment for type 2 diabetes

Generic metformin 500-mg tablets, 

as sold in the United Kingdom
– Wikipedia

DIABETES DIGEST – Oct. 31, 2014 – A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine found once again that metformin should be the first line treatment for type 2 diabetes, which isn’t really the news. The study also found that despite the guidelines recommending metformin first, only 57.8 percent of newly diagnosed patients began treatment with metformin.

FDA grants first US approval for SGLT2/metformin combination

DIABETES DIGEST – Oct. 30, 2014 – The FDA today, has approved once-daily XIGDUO™XR for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes.

The dual action drug combines the complementary mechanis of dapagliflozin (trade name in the US, FARXIGA™), which blocks a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2), with extended-release metformin, which reduces the amount of sugar produced by liver cells. SGLT2 inhibitors are a relatively new class of medicines that remove glucose from the body via the kidneys.