The medication change that could save 20,000 lives a year
New diabetes drug could revolutionize care for thousands
- A new class of once-daily tablets, SGLT-2 inhibitors, has been found to significantly reduce premature deaths in type 2 diabetes patients.
- A study by UCL and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, analysing data from 60,000 UK patients, showed those prescribed SGLT-2 inhibitors were 24 per cent less likely to die prematurely over an average of three years.
- Researchers estimate these drugs could prevent approximately 20,000 deaths annually in the UK, based on three million people being treated for type 2 diabetes.
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has endorsed SGLT-2 inhibitors as a first-line treatment, marking a major shift in diabetes care.
- These drugs work by helping the kidneys remove glucose and are also shown to protect the heart and kidneys, offering benefits beyond blood sugar control.
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