incretins and Abdominal-Pain

In the last couple of years incretin-based antidiabetic drugs became increasingly popular and widely used for treating patients with type 2 diabetes. Immediately after launching, case reports and small case series were published on the potential side effects of the new drugs, with special attention to pancreatic disorders such as acute pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer. As clinical observations accumulated, these side-effects were noted with nearly all drugs of this class. Although these side-effects proved to be rare, an intensive debate evolved in the literature. Opinion of diabetes specialists and representatives of pharmaceutical industry as well as position statements of different international scientific boards and health authorities were published. In addition, results of randomized clinical trials with incretin-based therapy and meta-analyses became available. Importantly, in everyday clinical practice, the label of the given drug should be followed. With regards to incretins, physicians should be cautious if pancreatitis in the patients' past medical history is documented. Early differential diagnosis of any abdominal pain during treatment of incretin-based therapy should be made and the drug should be discontinued if pancreatitis is verified. Continuous post-marketing surveillance and side-effect analysis are still justified with incretin-based antidiabetic treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Topics: Abdominal Pain; Acute Disease; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diagnosis, Differential; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Incretins; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Pancreatitis; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Factors

Gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs) are the most frequently reported treatment-related AEs associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The GI safety of albiglutide, a once-weekly GLP-1RA, was assessed using data from five phase III studies. In a pooled analysis of four placebo-controlled trials, the most common GI AEs were diarrhoea (albiglutide, 14.5% vs. placebo, 11.5%) and nausea (albiglutide, 11.9% vs. placebo, 10.3%), with most patients experiencing 1-2 events. The majority were mild or moderate in intensity and their median duration was 3-4 days. Vomiting occurred in 4.9% of patients in the albiglutide vs. 2.6% in the placebo group. For both albiglutide and placebo, serious GI AEs (2.0% vs. 1.5%) and withdrawals attributable to GI AEs (1.7% vs. 1.5%) were low. In a 32-week trial of albiglutide 50 mg weekly versus liraglutide 1.8 mg daily, nausea occurred in 9.9% of patients in the albiglutide group vs. 29.2% in the liraglutide group. Vomiting occurred in 5.0% in the albiglutide vs. 9.3% in the liraglutide group. In conclusion, albiglutide has an acceptable GI tolerability profile, with nausea and vomiting rates slightly higher than those for placebo but lower than those for liraglutide.

Topics: Abdominal Pain; Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; Constipation; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diarrhea; Gastroesophageal Reflux; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Humans; Incretins; Nausea; Severity of Illness Index; Vomiting