BioCentury
ARTICLE | Regulation

Moving past Actos

GLP-1s, DPP-4s boosted by restrictions on Actos in diabetes; SGLT2s in wings

July 4, 2011 7:00 AM UTC

The European decisions to either suspend or recommend against the use of Actos pioglitazone from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have been unwelcome news for patients for whom the drug works. But doctors contacted by BioCentury say Actos was by no means a standard of care, and was seen more as a second or third add-on in a treatment regimen with a variety of options and more on the way.

Clinicians said they will increase their use of alternative therapies, with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists leading the way, followed by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. Physicians also are keen on the potential of a new diabetes class, the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which they said could become standard second-line therapy behind metformin...