Source: Thailand Medical News Jun 10, 2019 5 years, 6 months, 1 week, 5 days, 5 hours, 50 minutes ago
Findings from the Rewind (Researching Cardiovascular Events with a Weekly Incretin in Diabetes) Trial by McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences , has indicated that the drug dulaglutide (brandname: Trulicity) reduced cardiovascular events and kidney problems in middle-aged and older people with Type 2 diabetes.
The trial which was one of the largest of its kind involved more than 9,900 patients in 24 countries and involved more than 5 years of follow ups.The trial findings showed that cardiovascular events like strokes or heart failure were reduced by 12% in patients taking dulaglutide compared to patients taking a placebo. This effect was seen in both sexes with or without previous cardiovascular disease.Also, the drug reduced the development of kidney disease by 15%.
Hertzel C. Gerstein, lead investigator for the study, professor of medicine at McMaster and deputy director of the PHRI commented in a telephone interview with Thailand Medical News, "Compared to non-diabetics, patients with diabetes have twice the rate of cardiovascular events like strokes and heart failure, and up to 40% of diabetics develop kidney disease," "The REWIND trial shows that dulaglutide can safely reduce these events while improving diabetes control and modestly lowering weight and blood pressure in middle-aged people with Type 2 diabetes."
Statistically, one in five people over the age of 60 have diabetes and most have Type 2 diabetes. Cumulatively, nearly ten per cent of adults are living with diabetes, including 425 million people worldwide; with more than 230 million people in Asia alone,100 million in the U.S., and three million people in Canada.
Trulicity (Dulaglutide) is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist that is injected once per week. It is US FDA approved for glucose lowering and works by helping the pancreas release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high, slowing the emptying of the stomach after a meal, and reducing appetite and weight issues.
The REWIND trial was funded by Eli Lilly and Company, the producers of Trulicity. Most of the trial participants were very similar to the sorts of people with diabetes who are seen commonly in medical practice. Participants were followed for a median of 5.4 years, longer than any previous trials, and more than 46 per cent of participants were women. Less than 32% of the participants had previous cardiovascular disease.The drug was well tolerated, modestly reduced weight, reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and blood pressure, and slightly increased heart rate. Side effects including constipation or diarrhea were reported more frequently in participants taking dulaglutide (47%) compared to placebo (34%).
