Economical drug available for diabetics

Diabetic patients will now have an easier access to a drug that would help decrease their blood sugar and reduce the risk of complications brought about by the condition.

Therapharma’s brand of glimepiride which was introduced late last year, is now part of the antidiabetic regimen of many Filipino patients with type 2 diabetes.

Glimepiride, which belongs to a class of anti-diabetic medicines known as sulfonylureas, lowers blood sugar level by stimulating insulin production after meals, when blood sugar concentration is highest, and controls blood glucose throughout the day.

More specifically, it lowers the glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), a minor component of hemoglobin to which glucose (sugar) is bound.

HbA1c, obtained by a laboratory test, is a useful indicator of how well the blood glucose level has been controlled in a few months, and may be used to monitor the effects of diet, exercise, and drug therapy on blood glucose in diabetic patients.

Studies have shown that the complications of diabetes can be delayed or prevented if the HbA1c level can be kept close to seven percent.

Dr. Ruby Go, former president of the Philippine Diabetes Association and Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism and head of the Endocrine Section at the Chinese General Hospital said, "Studies have shown that patients who are using glimepiride 4mg or lower were able to hold the HbA1c by as much as 2.4 percent."

Based on the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), a one percent reduction in the A1c will translate into a 40-percent risk reduction in complications such as eye, kidney and nerve problems.

Furthermore, glimepiride does not build up in the body and hinder kidney function. It has a longer duration of action and taken once a day.

The one, two and three-mg tablets of Therapharma’s glimepiride are priced at P12, P15 and P20, respectively.

Glimepiride is a prescription drug and available only with a physician’s advice.