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  • Cardiovascular benefits and safety profile of acarbose therapy in prediabetes and established type 2 diabetes.

Cardiovascular benefits and safety profile of acarbose therapy in prediabetes and established type 2 diabetes.

Cardiovascular diabetology (2007-08-19)
Markolf Hanefeld
ABSTRACT

Dysglycaemic disease is one of the most important health issues facing the world in the 21st century. Patients with type 2 diabetes and individuals with prediabetes are at risk of developing macrovascular and microvascular complications. Long-term management strategies are therefore required that are effective at controlling dysglycaemia, well tolerated and, ideally, offer additional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk-reduction benefits. The efficacy, safety and tolerability of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose have been well-established in a wide range of patient populations in both clinical and community trials. In addition, acarbose has been shown to reduce cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes and prevent hypertension and CVD in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Acarbose has a very good safety profile and, owing to its straightforward, non-systemic mode of action, avoids most adverse events. The most common side-effects of acarbose are mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal complaints that subside as treatment continues. They can be minimised through the use of an appropriate stepwise dosing regimen and careful choice of diet. Acarbose is therefore a valuable option for the management of type 2 diabetes and, as the only oral antidiabetes agent approved for the treatment of prediabetes, can help to improve clinical management across the dysglycaemic disease continuum.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Acarbose for peak identification, European Pharmacopoeia (EP) Reference Standard
Supelco
Acarbose, Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material
Sigma-Aldrich
Acarbose, ≥95% (HPLC)
Acarbose, European Pharmacopoeia (EP) Reference Standard