New diabetes drug could revolutionize care for thousands

• A new class of once-daily tablets, SGLT-2 inhibitors, has been found to significantly reduce premature deaths in type 2 diabetes patients.
• A study by UCL and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, analysing data from 60,000 UK patients, showed those prescribed SGLT-2 inhibitors were 24 per cent less likely to die prematurely over an average of three years.
• Researchers estimate these drugs could prevent approximately 20,000 deaths annually in the UK, based on three million people being treated for type 2 diabetes.
• The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has endorsed SGLT-2 inhibitors as a first-line treatment, marking a major shift in diabetes care.
• These drugs work by helping the kidneys remove glucose and are also shown to protect the heart and kidneys, offering benefits beyond blood sugar control.

IN FULL

The medication change that could save 20,000 lives a year