Context: Impairment of incretin activity is now recognized as integral to the metabolic derangement underlying type 2 diabetes. Glucoregulatory agents that target the incretin system have recently been developed, and the place of these drugs in the treatment of type 2 diabetes can be assessed based on a growing body of clinical data.
Evidence acquisition: A PubMed search was conducted to identify clinical studies of incretin therapies in type 2 diabetes. Article reference lists were also searched for relevant information, and supplemental material such as conference abstracts, drug prescribing information, and treatment guidelines were included as appropriate.
Evidence synthesis: Two classes of therapies target the incretin system. The first, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists (exemplified by exenatide and liraglutide), have demonstrated considerable efficacy in clinical trials, reducing hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) by up to 1.3%, decreasing fasting and postprandial glucose concentrations, reducing weight by approximately 3.0 kg, and improving cardiovascular risk factors. The second class, the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (such as sitagliptin and vildagliptin) rely on production of endogenous GLP-1 and act by reducing its turnover. The dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors produce modest reductions in HbA1c (< 1%) compared with GLP-1 agonists and are generally weight-neutral. Neither GLP-1 agonists nor DPP-4 inhibitors cause hypoglycemia unless used with other agents known to increase risk.
Conclusions: GLP-1 agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors provide a valuable new treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes and may be associated with a wider range of therapeutic benefits than older drugs.