The efficacy and safety of vildagliptin in the GALIANT trial: chronic kidney disease and other applications

Abstract

The number of mechanistically novel antidiabetes agents has dramatically increased over the past few years. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors in particular have emerged as clinically efficacious oral agents for diabetes management with a low incidence of side effects. The Galvus in Addition to Metformin versus Tzd/Metformin in Lowering HbA1c (GALIANT) trial showed that vildagliptin as an add-on therapy was noninferior to thiazolidinedione therapy with regard to reduction in hemoglobin A1c, with both drugs having a similar incidence of side effects in patients with normal and impaired renal function. DPP-4 inhibitors have a low incidence of hypoglycemia without significant weight gain and there is strong evidence that the administration of vildagliptin results in improved α- and β-cell function. New data suggest that DPP-4 inhibitors might also have a role in the setting of myocardial infarction and lipid management, and in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

Keywords::

• dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors
• DPP-4 inhibitors
• GALIANT trial
• vildagliptin

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Mary Ann Banerji has received speakers’ bureau honoraria from Merck, Sanofi-Aventis, and Boehringer-Ingleheim; has received advisory board honoraria from Roche, Boehringer-Ingleheim, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis and BMS, and has received research grants at SUNY Downstate from Amylin, Roche, Boehringer-Ingleheim, Takeda and Merck. 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.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.