Regardless of the degree of glycemic control, Linagliptin (LINA) has lower hypoglycemia risk than all doses of Glimepiride (GLIM), at all timeg points over a 2-year trial

Background, material and methods: Sulfonylurea (SU)-induced hypoglycemia is a common problem in type 2 diabetes. In a 2-year, randomized, double-blind study of the DPP-4 inhibitor LINA 5 mg/d (n = 764) vs. the SU GLIM 1 – 4 mg/d (n = 755) in patients uncontrolled by metformin, LINA provided noninferior reductions in HbA1c to GLIM with a lower hypoglycemia risk and no weight gain. This exploratory analysis evaluated the risk for investigator-reported hypoglycemia with GLIM vs. LINA. Patients randomized to GLIM started at 1 mg. Patients not achieving FPG ≤110 mg/dL at 4 weeks and not at hypoglycemia risk were upti…