Two-year assessment of the efficacy and safety of sitagliptin in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes: Post hoc analysis of the ASSET-K study (Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innovations)

Background: There have only been a few reports about use of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), suggesting that the safety of these agents has not been sufficiently demonstrated. We performed a comparative review of the efficacy and safety of sitagliptin for Japanese patients with T2DM managed in the real-world clinical setting. Methods: An age-stratified analysis was performed of 831 patients who were treated with sitagliptin for 2 years. Parameters assessed included the hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ), body weight, serum creatinine, and adverse events. HbA 1c and the incidence of hypoglycemia were also evaluated in patients treated with sitagliptin and a sulfonylurea (SU), who were divided into three age groups (