More than 500,000 Valencians have DM2, although about 150,000 are unknown, according to data provided by the Federation of Spanish Diabetics (Fede) about its prevalence in the different autonomous communities.
In Spain, cardiovascular disease is the cause of death of at least half of the individuals with type 2 diabetes.
This, together with the aging of the population, makes it a priority to promote early diagnosis and establish treatments that have less side effects and greater tolerability for patients.
Specifically, cardiovascular disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2).In fact, these patients may have a risk of developing cardiovascular disease 2 to 4 times higher than that observed in the population that does not have diabetes.
In compliance with its commitment to research and European (EMA) and American (FDA) regulatory agencies, it has promoted the Cardiovascular Security Study (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Results Evaluation with Sitagliptin).
This study was presented at the 75th scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association on June 8 in Boston (USA), providing important clinical information on this matter and its results have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The Tecos study, promoted by MSD, has been led by an independent committee of academic experts in research of the Diabetes Essay Unit of the University of Oxford and the Clinical Research Institute of the University of Duke.
The study, which brought together 14,671 patients from 38 countries with at least 50 years who had established CV diseases, showed that sigliptin added to the usual treatment did not increase the risk of presenting major cardiovascular episodes, nor hospitalization due to heart failure.
According to the doctor and researcher at the Cardiovascular Security Study Tecos, Esteban Jodar, Head of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service of University Hospitals Quirón Madrid, “Diabetes is a very prevalent disease that, in addition to specific microvascular complications that affect the eye, kidney, kidneyand nervous system, increases between 2 and 4 times the risk of cardiovascular problems.
For some years, regulatory authorities demand that in this area drugs in addition to showing their efficacy and safety in clinical development tests, also demonstrate to be safe at the cardiovascular level in patients with diabetes and high risk of cardiovascular problems. ”
In line with this, he stressed that “for clinicians who treat people with diabetes, the Tecos studio is very reassuring, since it clears doubts about cardiovascular safety of a drug use in people with type 2 diabetes such as Sitagliptin, whose security and efficiency profile we know both for their clinical development studies and for its wide use in daily practice ”.