Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Effectiveness of Acarbose and Voglibose Prescribed for Diabetes
In Cases the Prescription was Changed from Acarbose to Voglibose
2000 Volume 26 Issue 1 Pages 87-94
Details
2000 Volume 26 Issue 1 Pages 87-94
Several years have passed since α-glycosidase inhibitors entered the market as antidiabetics. At present, acarbose and voglibose are the only drugs in this category that are available in Japan. Although several studies have been perfomed on the efficacy and side effects of these drugs, the results are still not uniform. In this study, changes in the laboratory data were investigated in patients treated at our department in whom their medication was changed from acarbose to voglibose. The subjects consisted of 11 outpatients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in whom their medication was changed from 300 mg of acarbose to 0.6 mg of voglibose without any alterations in concomitant drugs.
No significant changes were noted in the HbAic, TG, TC, or HDL-C levels at 16 weeks after the change in medication. In addition, no abnormal data were observed in the GOT, GPT, γ-GTP, ALP, or K levels in patients before or after the change in medication. An interview study showed no remarkable changes in the symptoms except for a decreased frequency of flatus after the change in medication from acarbose to voglibose. The above results suggested that 0.6 mg of voglibose was superior in terms of QOL to 300 mg of acarbose because of a lower incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms, although the hypoglycemic effect was comparable between the 2 drugs.
Additional studies should be performed in a larger number of patients to obtain more reliable results.
