Potential drug interactions associated with treatments for Type 2 diabetes and its comorbidities: a clinical pharmacology review

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is a disease of glucose metabolism that commonly involves multiple comorbidities, including lipid dyscrasias and hypertension. Each concurrent disorder contributes some risk of complications and requires therapeutic intervention. The simultaneous management of so many coexisting illnesses can be complex and commonly results in patients being prescribed multiple medications – referred to as polypharmacy – which may further complicate treatment. To ensure the best patient outcomes, the treating physician must be aware of all the therapeutic agents that a patient is taking to assess possible drug interactions that such a plethora of medications may confer. This article addresses the underlying comorbidites, the drugs commonly used to treat them and the interactions that may arise from concomitant administration.

Keywords::

• comorbidities
• drug interactions
• polypharmacy
• Type 2 diabetes

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank B Saldinger and A Fader, PhD, of MedVal Scientific Information Services, LLC for providing medical writing and editorial assistance. This manuscript was prepared according to the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals’ Good Publication Practice for Communicating Company-Sponsored Medical Research: the GPP2 Guidelines.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

JS Freeman is on speakers bureaus for Merck, Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Boehringer Ingelheim. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Writing assistance was provided by MedVal Scientific Information Services, LLC, funded by Novo Nordisk Inc.

Notes

Data taken from [12].