According to a study conducted by experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center, two types of medications prescribed off-label to certain patients with type 1 diabetes can provide substantial advantages, but also pose health risks.
The data, which was released in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, provide an unique glimpse of the actual use of these drugs, which are gaining popularity among patients with type 1 diabetes as insulin adjuvants.
Researchers examined the medical records of patients with type 1 diabetes treated at UT Southwestern who received GLP-1RAs and/or SGLT2is for at least 90 days prior to October 31, 2021.
Their search yielded 104 patients: 65 who had only used GLP-1RAs, 28 who had exclusively used SGLT2is, and 11 who had used both concurrently or sequentially.
What they found: “We identified 104 patients with T1DM who ever used a GLP-1RA (76 patients) or SGLT2i (39 patients) for more than 90 days.”
“GLP-1RA and SGLT2i use in T1DM is associated with clinically relevant benefits. DKA remains a clinical concern with SGLT2i use, requiring careful patient selection and monitoring, with the risk to benefit ratio of treatment evaluated at an individual level.”
