Yale Study Highlights Safer Diabetes Medications for Elderly Patients
A recent study conducted by Yale School of Medicine, led by Yuan Lu, ScD, and co-led by Marc Suchard, PhD, from the University of California, Los Angeles, has provided new insights into the safety of diabetes medications for elderly patients. The research, published in Nature Communications, analyzed data from over 1.8 million individuals aged 65 and older across the United States and Europe. The study compared four major classes of second-line antihyperglycemic medications, typically prescribed when first-line therapy like metformin is insufficient, across 18 safety outcomes. The findings suggest that newer classes of medications, such as GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors, are generally associated with lower risks of adverse outcomes compared to older drugs like sulfonylureas and DPP-4 inhibitors. However, the study also noted that SGLT2 inhibitors could increase the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, while GLP-1 receptor agonists might cause gastrointestinal side effects. 
