Type 2 diabetes pill improves blood sugar control
A Type 2 diabetes pill taken once a day has been shown to ‘significantly’ improve the health of people with the condition, according to new research.
In a major study, research led by Professor Melanie Davies CBE (pictured) of the Leicester Diabetes Centre and Professor of Diabetes Medicine at our University found that semaglutide taken orally lowered HbA1c, a measurement of blood glucose over three months, by up to 1.9 per cent and also aided weight loss.
Although there are several Type 2 diabetes treatments currently available, many of them come with greater risks of developing low blood sugar, a condition known as hypoglycaemia, as well as weight gain.
But up to 90 per cent of patients receiving oral semaglutide achieved the target HbA1c level of less than 7 per cent and 71 per cent experienced meaningful weight loss, the research published by the prestigious journal JAMA found.
Semaglutide is a glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue, a relatively new group of injectable drugs, but it can also be taken orally and this study explored the effectiveness of its pill form. Semaglutide works by stimulating insulin production and suppressing the secretion of the glucose-raising hormone glucagon as well as lowering appetite.