For people living with Type 2 diabetes, keeping blood sugar levels under control can be a constant struggle.
Most patients start their treatment with a drug called metformin. It’s a popular choice because it helps to lower blood sugar levels effectively.
But as time goes on, metformin alone might not be enough.
Many people find that their blood sugar starts creeping up again, even with healthy eating and exercise. This is where a new study from Thomas Jefferson University brings some hope.
The research explored a combination of two additional diabetes medications: dapagliflozin and exenatide. Scientists wanted to see if using these two drugs together could help people who weren’t getting enough results from metformin alone. To find out, they organized a study with 695 adults who had Type 2 diabetes.
The participants were divided into three groups: one group received weekly injections of exenatide along with metformin, another group took daily dapagliflozin pills with metformin, and the last group used both exenatide and dapagliflozin alongside metformin.
This study wasn’t just short-term; it lasted for two whole years, allowing the researchers to see how well the treatments worked over time.
The way these two drugs work together is quite interesting. Dapagliflozin helps the body remove extra sugar through urine. It’s almost like the body is flushing out the unwanted sugar before it can cause harm. On the other hand, exenatide has several helpful effects.
It encourages the body to release insulin when it’s needed, slows down sugar production in the liver, makes food move more slowly through the stomach, and even helps people feel fuller after eating. These effects can be really important for people with diabetes, as they help to prevent big spikes in blood sugar levels after meals.
When these two drugs were used together, the results were impressive. People who took both dapagliflozin and exenatide had much better blood sugar control compared to those who took only one of the drugs.
Even more exciting, this improved control lasted for the entire two-year study period. This is important because many diabetes medications tend to lose their effectiveness over time. It seems that this drug combination might be different.
There were other benefits too. Many patients who took both medications lost weight and saw their blood pressure go down. Both of these changes are really important because carrying extra weight and having high blood pressure can make diabetes worse and increase the risk of heart disease.
The fact that these two drugs could help with weight and blood pressure, in addition to controlling blood sugar, makes the treatment even more promising.
The study also showed that the combination was generally safe for long-term use. There weren’t any major health concerns reported by the participants. This is good news because safety is always a big concern when people are taking medications over a long period of time.
The researchers, led by Dr. Serge Jabbour, published their findings in the journal Diabetes Care. They pointed out that many diabetes treatments start strong but lose their impact over time. This is why the results of this study are so important.
It showed that using dapagliflozin and exenatide together could keep blood sugar levels steady for at least two years, while also helping with weight and blood pressure. For people with Type 2 diabetes, this could mean fewer complications and a better quality of life.
This new combination therapy offers hope for those who have struggled to keep their blood sugar under control with just metformin. It also gives doctors another option to help patients manage their condition more effectively.
If you or someone you know is living with Type 2 diabetes, it might be worth talking to a doctor about this new research. It’s always important to explore new treatments that could make life easier and healthier for those managing this condition every day.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that MIND diet may reduce risk of vision loss disease, and Vitamin D could benefit people with diabetic neuropathic pain.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies that Vitamin E could help reduce blood sugar and insulin resistance in diabetes, and results showing eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
