Taking Linagliptin May Protect Kidney Function
Taking linagliptin seems to help protect the kidneys in people with type 2 diabetes. The drug, usually used along with diet, exercise, and sometimes other medications, lowers blood sugar levels by increasing the amounts of certain natural substances in the blood.
The executive medical director of Boehringer Ingelheim, the company that manufactures Tradjenta, the brand name for which linagliptin is the generic, reported that findings from a
group of studies showed that Tradjenta users were 16 percent less likely to reach end stage renal disease than patients taking a placebo.
According to Maximilian von Eynatten, MD, of Boehringer Ingelheim, the results wer surprising. However, George Bakris, MD, professor of medicine and director of the
Comprehensive Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medical School, who was not involved in the study, was not surprised at the results.
Bakris said that one key to lowering the risk of renal disease is maintaining glucose control. Since the drug assists in that goal, it can be considered a help in avoiding kidney failure.
Source: Medscape Medical News
