Current medical research and opinion
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
Comparative effectiveness of vildagliptin in combination with other oral anti-diabetes agents in usual-care conditions: the EDGE-Latin America study.
To assess the proportion of patients on vildagliptin add-on dual therapy who respond to treatment over a 12 month follow-up, relative to comparator oral anti-diabetes dual therapy, in a usual care setting. ⋯ In a usual care setting, patients treated with a vildagliptin combination succeeded in lowering A1c to <7%, without weight gain, hypoglycemia or peripheral edema more often than patients treated with comparator combinations, without increased risk of adverse events. Key limitations are the observational nature of the study and its relatively limited 12 month timeframe.
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Comparative Study
Anti-tumor necrosis factor agents reduce corticosteroid use compared with azathioprine in patients with Crohn's disease.
Corticosteroids are effective for inducing remission of Crohn's disease, but should not be used long term due to risk of adverse events. Benefits of immunosuppressants (e.g., azathioprine) and anti tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents include reduced reliance on corticosteroid-based therapies and avoidance of corticosteroid-associated adverse events. Our aim was to evaluate corticosteroid-sparing effects in patients with Crohn's disease upon being newly initiated on an anti-TNFα agent or azathioprine. ⋯ Patients with Crohn's disease were able to avoid new prescriptions for corticosteroids at a statistically higher rate when treated with an anti-TNF agent. These results demonstrate that the anti-TNF agents are superior to azathioprine for minimizing exposure to corticosteroids.