Trajenta/linagliptin another next to useless very expensive type two diabetes drug !

If you are a non insulin using type two diabetic and want to stay complication free, lowcarbing and exercise are pretty much your only option. Hold up I hear some say ! what about medication ? I can tell you most type diabetes medication is useless, expensive and all carry side effects. From mild to life threatening. Let's have a look at Tragenta. It can reduce HbA1c by 0.69 compared to a placebo, and costs the thick end of $300 for 30 pills. Metformin which can reduce HbA1c more, but not by a great amount costs $4 for 30 pills.

This drugs main selling point is it is suitable for patients who cannot tolerate metformin. If it reduced HbA1c by 2 or 3 or more percentage points, it may be worthy of consideration.

Reducing HbA1c from the quoted 8% by 0.69 is about as useful as a rubber beak on a woodpecker, and for the privilege of this next to useless reduction the cost is massive. By lowcarbing I reduced HbA1c from 12 to 5.5 in three months. No cost and no side effects five and a half years on.

I have been saying welcome to the crazy world of diabetes for years, clearly it is more crazy than I thought. It is the biggest rip of in the world, and Medics issuing drugs are falling hook, line and sinker for the bilge issued by drug reps. The $64,000 question must be, are the medics receiving commissions for prescribing next to useless  highly expensive drugs, that in many cases harm the patient ? We need to be told !

"The efficacy and safety of linagliptin monotherapy was evaluated in a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 24 weeks duration. Treatment with once daily linagliptin at 5 mg provided a significant improvement in HbA1c (-0.69% change compared to placebo), in patients with baseline HbA1c of approximately 8%. Linagliptin also showed significant improvements in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and 2-hour post-prandial glucose (PPG) compared to placebo. The observed incidence of hypoglycaemia in patients treated with linagliptin was similar to placebo.

The efficacy and safety of linagliptin monotherapy was also evaluated in patients for whom metformin therapy is inappropriate, due to intolerability or contraindicated due to renal impairment, in a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 18 weeks duration. Linagliptin provided significant improvements in HbA1c, (-0.57% change compared to placebo), from a mean baseline HbA1c of 8.09%. Linagliptin also showed significant improvements in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) compared to placebo. The observed incidence of hypoglycaemia in patients treated with linagliptin was similar to placebo."

One of the Side effects.

"Pancreatitis

In post-marketing experience of linagliptin there have been spontaneously reported adverse reactions of acute pancreatitis. Patients should be informed of the characteristic symptom of acute pancreatitis: persistent, severe abdominal pain. Resolution of pancreatitis has been observed after discontinuation of linagliptin. If pancreatitis is suspected, Trajenta should be discontinued."

Remember this drug can reduce HbA1c by 0.69, who would risk even a slim chance of acute pancreatitis for such a small decrease in blood glucose number ?

Source of drug information here.

Source of drug prices here.

Eddie