α-Glucosidase Inhibitors for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Response to van de Laar et al.
- Markolf Hanefeld, MD, PHD1,
- Robert G. Josse, MBBS2 and
- Jean-Louis Chiasson, MD3
- 1Centre for Clinical Studies, Science and Technology Transfer\NTechnical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- 22Department of Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- 33Centre Hospitalier de l’Ùniversite de Montreal-Hotel-Dieu and Department of Medicine, Montreal University, Montreal, Canada
- Address correspondence to Markolf Hanefeld, MD, PhD, Science and Technology Transfer\NGWT TU Dresden, Centre for Clinical Studies, Fiedler Str. 34, Dresden 01307, Germany. E-mail: hanefeld{at}gwtonline-zks.de
The authors of the Cochrane systematic review carefully analyzed all available studies that fulfilled the criteria of randomized clinical trials of at least 12 weeks’ duration (1). With the exception of one study (2), all registered mortality and morbidity as secondary objectives. Glycemic control was the primary objective in 40 of 41 of these trials. Thus, the major legitimate conclusion of this careful analysis was that “AGIs [α-glucosidase inhibitors] have clear beneficial effects on glycemic control” mainly through their dose-dependent effect on postprandial hyperglycemia.
However, the authors also state as one of their main conclusions that they “found no evidence for an effect on mortality …
