duration (4.9–9.9 years) compared with the DPP-4 inhibitor study patients
(1.9–6.5 years).
One may conclude that DPP-4 inhibitors are a good
treatment option for patients with a shorter diabetes duration as they do
not cause weight gain and have low hypoglycemic risk—important
advantages over sulfonylureas or thiazolidinediones. Nevertheless, the
effect of exenatide in terms of glycemic control has been demonstrated in
insulin non-inferiority studies.
Exenatide is the only antidiabetic with an
additional weight-reduction effect—a desired goal of treatment in any
stage of type 2 diabetes, especially in obese patients.57