title: Vildagliptin vs sulfonylurea in Indian Muslim diabetes patients fasting during Ramadan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the use of vildagliptin and sulfonylurea with or without metformin in Indian Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, fasting during Ramadan.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a 4-wk, multicenter, non-interventional, open-label, observational study. Incidence of hypoglycemic events (HEs), adverse events, and changes in glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose, postprandial plasma glucose and body weight were measured pre- and post-Ramadan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally, 97 patients were recruited and all completed the study (vildagliptin group, n = 55; sulfonylurea group, n = 42). HEs were reported in low frequencies in both the vildagliptin and the sulfonylurea groups [0 vs 2 (4.8%) patients, respectively]. Interestingly, HbA1c reduced by -0.43% (-4.71 mmol/mol) in the vildagliptin group [8.75% (72.10 mmol/mol) to 8.32% (67.38 mmol/mol), P = 0.009] while in the sulfonylurea group there was a small increase by 0.01% [0.08 mmol/mol; 8.64% (70.92 mmol/mol) to 8.65% (71.00 mmol/mol), P = 0.958]. Higher percentage of vildagliptin-treated patients achieved HbA1c < 7.0% (< 53 mmol/mol) compared with sulfonylurea (16.4% vs 4.8%). Mean decrease in the body weight was 1.2 kg and 0.03 kg, respectively (P < 0.001). Both treatment groups were well tolerated during Ramadan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vildagliptin is an attractive treatment option for Indian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are fasting during Ramadan.
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Abhijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shete
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Aheson
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaikh
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: K Javeed
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Nayeem
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mohamed Sheikamunadeen Sadiq
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Parag
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Rajiv
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sarfaraj
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majid
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sabeer A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rasheed
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Shehla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shaikh
authors.affiliation: Abhijit Shete, Medical Department, Novartis Pharma AG, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tawfiqur
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rahman
keywords: Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors; Fasting hypoglycemia; Sulfonylurea; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Vildagliptin