Older drugs just as effective in treating diabetes: study

(Source: The Globe & Mail, 01 April 2011)
Newer doesn’t necessarily mean better when it comes to the medications used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reviewed 166 previously published studies that investigated the effectiveness and safety of different classes of diabetes drugs .

They concluded that metformin, an oral medication that has been on the market for 15 years, works just as well and has fewer side effects than the mostly newer and costlier drugs such as Avandia and Actos.Although metformin can lead to gastrointestinal problems in some patients, it is less likely to cause weight gain or raise cholesterol – common side effects of some medications that lower blood-sugar levels. Read more