Glucobay® – the most extensively investigated and widely prescribed α-glucosidase inhibitor – reduces all relevant glycemic parameters especially post prandial plasma glucose excursions by delaying the absorption of carbohydrate from the small intestine. Glucobay® is an effective first-line therapy for patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, and induces a further improvement in glycemic control when used in combination with other antidiabetes agents.

Glucobay is an effective first-line anti-diabetes agent

The prevention of postprandial hyperglycaemia is among the major objectives of type 2 diabetes therapy. Postprandial hyperglycaemia has a high prevalence among patients with diabetes. It is responsible for short term symptoms of hyperglycaemia and significantly contributes to the development of long-term complications in terms of micro- and macrovascular disease. Glucobay® is effective for glycemic control and has proven efficacy in the everyday clinical setting.

Lebovitz H., Diabetes Rev. 6:132-145 (1998)
Breuer H.-W.M., Int. J. Clin Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 41, 421-440 (2003)

Glucobay maintains therapeutic activity in the long term

Most anti-diabetes therapies are unable to maintain therapeutic activity in the long term. This often necessitates increasingly complex treatment regimens as the disease progresses. The loss of therapeutic activity is related to a mechanism of action that targets either insulin secretion or insulin resistance - the factors known to deteriorate as diabetes progresses.

The mechanism of action of Glucobay® is independent of beta-cell function and the degree of insulin resistance. Results of a 5-year surveillance study confirmed the ability of Glucobay® to improve glycemic control - as monotherapy or taken in combination with other anti-diabetes therapies over a period of five years.

Mertes G., Diab Res Clin Pract., 52: 193-204 (2001)

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Glucobay improves glycemic control in patients with advanced diabetes and in combination with other oral anti-diabetic medications

Metformin: In contrast to the therapeutic activity of acarbose in the long-term, metformin has a secondary failure rate of 5 - 10% per year. Therefore, patients assigned to metformin often require additional medication as the disease progresses. As the progression of type 2 diabetes is strongly associated with body mass, avoiding weight gain is an important consideration when selecting an add-on agent for patients taking metformin.

Halimi et al., Diab Res Clin Pract. 50: 44-56 (2000)

Sulfonylureas: Despite the risk of serious hypoglycaemia, sulfonylureas remain a commonly used first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes. A secondary failure rate of 5 - 10% a year necessitates a combination therapy for example with Glucobay® as the disease progresses.

Rosak et al., Diab Nutr Metab 15: 143-151 (2002)

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Glucobay has an equivalent efficacy to metformin or sulfonylurea

Hoffmann et al. could have shown that Glucobay® improved glycemic control with a similar efficacy to metformin and sulfonylurea and offered several additional benefits.

Hoffmann et al., Diabetes Care 17: 561-566 (1994)
Hoffmann et al., Am J Med 103: 483-490 (1997)

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Glucobay is one of the safest anti-diabetes therapies available

Glucobay® has been shown to have a good safety profile in numerous clinical trials, surveillance studies and over 15 years of routine clinical use. Acarbose acts locally on the small intestine, and only 0.5 - 1.7% is absorbed. This low systemic exposure dramatically reduces the chances of adverse events.

Glucobay® does not increase insulin secretion, and therefore, when used as a monotherapy, has no potential for causing hypoglycaemia.

Mertes G., Diab Res Clin Pract., 52: 193-204 (2001)
Breuer H.-W.M., Int. J. Clin Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 41, 421-440 (2003)

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Glucobay as a first-line therapy is endorsed by a range of clinical guidelines

The established reputation of Glucobay® for the safe treatment of type 2 diabetes is reflected by the many national diabetes organizations that recommend acarbose as a first-line therapy, following the failure of lifestyle modification.

For example, the guidelines produced by the German Diabetes Society recommend acarbose as a first-line therapy option and recommend early and aggressive therapy for type 2 diabetes. The guidelines produced by the European Policy Group (part of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) and the Asian-Pacific type 2 diabetes Policy Group are endorsed by the IDF and WHO, and recommend acarbose as first-line therapy for both normal and overweight patients.

1. European Diabetes Policy Group. Diabet Med 1999;16:716-30.
2. Asian-Pacific Diabetes Policy Group. Sydney: In Vivo Communications; 2002.
3. German Diabetes Society. Diab Stoffw 2002;11(Suppl 2):1-43.
4. Canadian Diabetes Association. Can J Diabetes 2003;(Suppl 2):S37-42.
5. Charbonnel B, et al. Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss 2004;97:229-49.

For more detailed information please download some overviews of these Guidelines.
Summaries of the guidelines from the Asian-Pacific Type 2 Diabetes Policy Group, the German Diabetes Society and the Canadian Diabetes Association are included in the electronic version of the slide set.
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