Diabetes Drugs

July 24th, 2015 | by Great Britain Association

Diabetes drugs

There are a number of different types of diabetes drugs – with some having similar ways of acting. Drugs which act similarly to each other are put into the same class of drugs.

Below is a list of the most common diabetes drug classes, an A-Z of all diabetes drugs, how they work, who they are for and which medications fall into these drug classes.

Jump to the treatment you’re interested in:

–Insulin

–Biguanides / Metformin

–Sulphonylureas

–Meglitinides / Prandial glucose regulator / Glinides

–Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors

–Thiazolidinedione / Glitazones

–DPP-4 inhibitors / Gliptins

–Incretin mimetics / GLP-1 analogues

–Amylin analogues

–A to Z of diabetes drugs

Insulin

Insulin is a hormone which helps to regulate blood sugar. A number of different types of insulin are available as medication, with some insulins acting for as long as a day and others acting for only a few hours.

However, insulin is prescribed for people with type 1 diabetes and for people with type 2 diabetes who have not responded so well on oral medication (tablets).

-Read more on insulin

Biguanides / Metformin

The only available diabetes medication in the biguanides class of drugs is metformin.

Biguanides prevent the liver from producing glucose and helps to improve the body’s sensitivity towards insulin. Metformin is commonly used as a first line treatment for type 2 diabetes and may occasionally be prescribed, in combination with insulin, for people with type 1 diabetes.

-Read more on metformin

Sulphonylureas

Sulphonylureas are the class of antidiabetic drug for type 2 diabetes that tends to include those drugs which end in ‘ide’.

The following drugs are all in the sulphonylureas class (branded names in brackets):

-Glibenclamide –also known as Glyburide (Daonil)
-Glipizide (Glucotrol)
-Gliquidone (Glurenorm)
-Glyclopyramide (Deamelin-S)
-Glimepiride (Amaryl)
-Gliclazide (Diamicron)

Sulphonylureas work by increasing the amount of insulin the pancreas produces and increasing the working effectiveness of insulin. The mode of action of sulphonylureas means that hypoglycemia and weight gain can be relatively common side effects.

-Read more on sulphonylureas

Meglitinides / Prandial glucose regulator / Glinides

The glinides are a class of drug which have a similar response as sulphonylureas but act for a shorter time. Meglitinides are prescribed to be taken by people with type 2 diabetes within half an hour before eating. As the drugs act for a shorter period than sulphonylureas, the side effects of hypoglycemia and weight gain have a smaller likelihood.

Examples of prandial glucose regulators are (brand names in brackets):

-Repaglinide (Prandin)
-Nateglinide (Starlix)

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, such as acarbose (marketed as Precose or Glucobay) or miglitol (branded as Glyset) are drugs for type 2 diabetes which slow down the digestion of carbohydrates in the small intestine and therefore can help to reduce after meal blood sugar levels.

Thiazolidinedione / Glitazones

Thiazolidinediones, also known as glitazones, are a medication for type 2 diabetes which help to improve insulin sensitivity and have been found to help decrease triglyceride levels.

However, these have recently been in public spotlight as questions over their long term safety.

In September 2010, the most popularly prescribed drug in this class rosiglitazone (Avandia) was banned for use by the European medicines Agency over heart attack concerns.

Pioglitazone (Actos) has also made the news in connection with instances of bladder cancer, however, the danger has not been deemed sufficient to need to ban the drug in the UK.

DPP-4 inhibitors / Gliptins

DPP-4 inhibitors, also known as gliptins, are a class of drug which help to stimulate the production of insulin and reduce the production of glucagon, particularly during digestion.

DPP-4 inhibitors are usually prescribed for people with type 2 diabetes who have not responded well to drugs such as metformin and sulphonylureas.

This drug class includes following medications (trade names in brackets):

Incretin mimetics / GLP-1 analogues

Incretin mimetics, also known as GLP-1 analogues, are an injectable treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Incretin mimetics look to mimic the effect of a group of hormones called incretins which increase the production of insulin and decrease the release of glucagon in a relatively similar way DPP-4 inhibitors.

This is not a coincidence as the way DPP-4 inhibitors work is to prevent the protein dipeptidyl peptidase-4 from destroying the incretin hormones.

GLP-1 analogues have been found to be particularly effective in helping to improve blood glucose levels and helping with weight loss.

The following GLP-1 analogues are prescribed in the UK (branded names in brackets):

-Dulaglutide (Trulicity)
–Exenatide (Byetta)
–Liraglutide (Victoza)
-Lixisenatide (Lyxumia)

Amylin analogues

Amylin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and released at the same time as insulin, but in much smaller quantities (about 1% compared with insulin). Amylin helps to suppress glucagon release and therefore reduce post meal blood glucose levels.

Pramlintide acetate (marketed as Symlin) is available in the US as an injectable drug for the treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The use of amylin with insulin can carry an increased chance of hypoglycemia.

A-Z of diabetes drugs

Explore the 50+ diabetes drugs available in the UK and worldwide (including those discontinued in the UK):

A to Z of diabetes medication
Brand Name	Generic Name	Drug Form	For Treating	Drug Class	Made By	Drug Description
Actos	Pioglitazone	Tablet	Type 2	Thiazolidinediones (Glitazones)	Takeda	Antidiabetic drug used to improve glyemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes by reducing insulin resistance.
Actrapid	Insulin soluble human	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Fast-acting medication used as a substitute for the body’s insulin in people with diabetes.
Amaryl	Glimepiride	Tablet	Type 2	Sulphonylureas	Sanofi-Aventis	Tablet diabetes medication used to help control blood sugar levels by boosting the body’s insulin sensitivity.
Apidra	Insulin Glulisine	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Sanofi-Aventis	Fast acting, mealtime insulin used to help maintain blood sugar control for adults with type 2 diabetes or adults and children (4 years and older) with type 1 diabetes.
Byetta	Exenatide	Injection solution	Type 2	Incretin mimetics (GLP-1 agonists)	Amylin Pharmaceuticals	Type 2 diabetes medication that helps to lower blood sugar levels by increasing the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas.
Bydreoun	Exenatide	Injection solution	Type 2	Incretin mimetics (GLP-1 agonists)	Amylin Pharmaceuticals	Longer acting / extended-release form of exenatide (Byetta).
Competact	Metformin hydrochloridePioglitazone hydrochloride	Tablet	Type 2	Biguanides / Thiazolidinediones	Takeda Pharmaceuticals	Metformin/pioglitazone combination treatment used to help control blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes.
Diamicron	Gliclazide	Tablet	Type 2	Sulphonylureas	Servier Laboratories	Antidiabetic drug that stimulates the production of insulin in the pancreas to lower blood glucose levels.
Eucreas	Metformin hydrochlorideVildagliptin	Tablet	Type 2	Biguanides / DPP-4 inhibitors	Novartis Pharmaceuticals	Metformin / vildagliptin combination treatment designed to help keep blood sugar level under control.
Forxiga	Dapagliflozin	Tablet	Type 2	SGLT2 inhibitors	Bristol-Myers Squibb + AstraZeneca PLC	Tablet diabetes drug that works to reduce blood sugar levels by helping the kidneys to remove excess sugar from the body and excrete it via urine.
Galvus	Vildagliptin	Tablet	Type 2	DPP-4 inhibitors (Gliptins)	Novartis Pharmaceuticals	Oral type 2 diabetes drug that increases production of two incretin hormones in the body, which work to keep blood glucose levels in check.
Glibenese (discontinued in the UK)	Glipizide	Tablet	Type 2	Sulphonylureas	Pfizer Limited	Antidiabetic medicine for patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes that works mainly by stimulating insulin production and secretion from the pancreas.
Gliclazide	Gliclazide	Tablet	Type 2	Sulphonylureas	Servier Laboratories	Oral hypoglycemic medicine for type 2 diabetes patients that works mainly by boosting the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas
Glimepiride	Glimepiride	Tablet	Type 2	Sulphonylureas	N/A	Medium- to long-acting sulfonylurea drug indicated for treatment of type 2 diabetes that works mainly by encouraging the pancreas to produce more insulin.
Glipizide	Glipizide	Tablet	Type 2	Sulphonylureas	N/A	Oral antidiabetic drug that increases the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas to help reduce blood glucose levels.
GlucaGen	Glucagon	Solution	Type 1 Type 2	N/A	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Antihypoglycemic medicine that uses glucagon to increase blood sugar levels in emergency siutations such as severe hypoglycemia.
Glucobay	Acarbose	Tablet	Type 2	Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors	Bayer AG	Oral drug that blocks the enzymes that digest starches in food, slowing down and reducing the rise in blood glucos throughout the day, especially after meals
Humalog	Insulin lispro	Solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Eli Lilly	Fast-acting form of insulin used to treat adults with diabetes for the control of high blood sugar.
Humalog Mix	Insulin lisproInsulin lispro protamine	Solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Eli Lilly	Humalog mixes consisting of 25% insulin lispro solution and 75% insulin lispro protamine suspension (Mix25) & 50% insulin lispro solution and 50% insulin lispro protamine suspension (Mix50).
Humulin I	Insulin isophane human	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Eli Lilly	Intermediate-acting insulin for the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus who require insulin for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis.
Humulin M3	Insulin isophane humanInsulin soluble human	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Eli Lilly	Ready-made Humulin mixture formulation consisting of soluble inuslin (30%) and isophane insulin (70%).
Humulin S	Insulin soluble human	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Eli Lilly
Hypurin Bovine Isophane	Insulin isophane bovine	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Wockhardt UK Ltd	Intermediate-acting insulin used to help achieve normal blood glucose control in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes.
Hypurin Bovine Lente	Insulin zinc suspension mixed bovine	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Wockhardt UK Ltd	Long-acting insulin (produced using a mixture of insulin obtained from cow pancreas and zinc) that helps control blood glucose throughout the day.
Hypurin Bovine Protamine Zinc	Insulin protamine zinc bovine	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Wockhardt UK Ltd	Long-acting insulin (produced using a mixture of insulin obtained from cow pancreas, zinc and protamine) that helps control of blood glucose throughout the day.
Hypurin Porcine Isophane	Insulin isophane porcine	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Wockhardt UK Ltd	Intermediate-acting insulin obtained from pig pancreas that helps control blood sugar levels during the day.
Hypurin Porcine Neutral	Insulin soluble porcine	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Wockhardt UK Ltd	Rapid-acting insulin (soluble or neutral insulin) obtained from pig pancreas that helps keep blood sugar levels under control.
Insulatard	Insulin isophane human	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Intermediate-acting insulin for the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus who require insulin for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis.
Insulin Glulisine	Insulin glulisine	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Sanofi-Aventis	Generic version of Apidra – a rapid acting, mealtime insulin used to help maintain blood sugar control for adults with type 2 diabetes or adults and children (4 years and older) with type 1 diabetes.
Insuman Basal	Insulin isophane human			Insulin
Insuman Comb	Insulin isophane humanInsulin soluble human			Insulin
Insuman Rapid	Insulin soluble human			Insulin
Invokana	Canagliflozin	Tablet	Type 2	SGLT2 inhibitors	Janssen Pharmaceuticals	Tablet diabetes medication that works with your kidneys to help remove excess sugar from your body within urine and keep blood glucose levels under control.
Janumet	Metformin hydrochlorideSitagliptin phosphate	Tablet	Type 2	Biguanides/DPP-4 inhibitors	Merck Sharp & Dohme	Oral medicine that combines both metformin and sitagliptin to help manage blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Januvia	Sitagliptin phosphate monohydrate	Tablet	Type 2	DPP-4 inhibitors (Gliptins)	Merck Sharp & Dohme	Oral type 2 diabetes medication which works by increasing the amount of incretin hormones in the body that help control blood sugar.
Jardiance	Empagliflozin	Tablet	Type 2	SGLT2 inhibitors	Boehringer Ingelheim	Reduces kidneys ability to reabsorb glucose back into the blood.
Lantus	Insulin glargine	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Sanofi-Aventis	Long-acting basal insulin analogue given once daily to assisit blood sugar control in people with diabetes.
Levermir	Insulin detemir	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Long-acting human insulin analogue that helps control levels of blood glucose in diabetic patients.
Lucentis	Ranibizumab	Injection solution	DMO: Diabetic macular oedemawAMD: Wet age related macular degenerationMacular oedema caused by retinal vein occlusion	Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) medications	Genentech	Injectable medicine for the treatment of visual impairement caused by diabetic macular oedema or wet age-related macular degeneration.
Lyxumia	Lixisenatide	Injection solution	Type 2	Incretin mimetics (GLP-1 agonists)	Sanofi	Daily injectable medication which can help with reducing blood glucose levels and body weight.
Metformin	Metformin hydrochloride	Tablet	Type 2	Biguanides	Takeda Pharmaceuticals	Oral anitdiabetic medication considered as the first-line of drug treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes, particulalry those who are also overweight or obese.
Minodiab	Gilpizide	Tablet	Type 2	Sulphonylureas	Pharmacia Limited	Antidiabetic sulfonylurea drug designed to reduce blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes by stimulating insulin production in the pancreas.
Mixtard (discontinued in the UK)	Insulin isophane humanInsulin soluble human	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Pre-mixed combination of fast-acting and intermediate-acting insulin that provides a rapid blood glucose-lowering effect after injection, followed by a prolonged glycemic control effect.
NovoMix 30	Insulin aspartInsulin aspart protamine	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Pre-mixed combination of fast-acting and long-acting insulin that rapidly lowers blood glucose following injection and helps maintain good blood glucose control throughout the day.
NovoRapid	Insulin aspart	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Rapid-acting insulin analogue taken shortly before or shortly after a meal to control rising blood glucose levels after eating.
Onglyza	Saxagliptin	Tablet	Type 2	DPP-4 inhibitors (Gliptins)	Bristol-Myers Squibb	Oral hypoglycemic agent that controls blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes patients by increasing the level of incretin hormones in the body.
Pork Actrapid (discontinued in the UK)	Insulin soluble porcine	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Diabetes medicine containing soluble insulin obtained from pig pancreas that helps lower the amount of glucose in the blood.
Pork Mixtard (discontinued in the UK)	Insulin isophane porcineInsulin soluble porcine	Injection suspension	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Medication consisting of both short-acting insulin and intermediate-acting insulin that provides a rapid blood glucose-lowering effect after injection, followed by a prolonged glycemic control effect.
Prandin	Repaglinide	Tablet	Type 2	Prandial glucose regulators (Glinides)	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Antidiabetic drug that lowers blood glucose through a number of actions, including stimulating the release of insulin from the pancreas into the blood stream
Regranex	Becaplermin	Gel	Type 1 Type 2	Platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)	Janssen-Cilag Ltd	Gel indicated for the treatment of chronic, lower extremity ulcers caused by diabetic neuropathy.
Starlix	Nateglinide	Tablet	Type 2	Prandial glucose regulators (Glinides)	Novartis Pharmaceuticals	Tablet diabetes medication that triggers the release of insulin from the pancreas to lower blood sugar levels.
Symlin (not available in the UK)	Pramlinitide	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Amylin analogues	Bristol Myers-Squibb	Man-made version of the natural hormone amylin which works to reduce post-meal blood glucose levels.
Tolbutamide	Tolbutamide	Tablet	Type 2	Sulphonylureas	N/A	Oral hypoglycemic medicine used to help manage type 2 diabetes largely by stimulating the release of more insulin from the pancreas.
Trulicity	Dulaglutide	Injection solution	Type 2	Incretin mimetics (GLP-1 agonists)	Eli Lilly	Once weekly injectable incretin medication for treating type 2 diabetes.
Velosulin (discontinued in the UK)	Insulin soluble human	Injection solution	Type 1 Type 2	Insulin	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Rapid-acting insulin intended intended for use in lowering blood glucose levels in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes.
Victoza	Liraglutide	Injection solution	Type 2	Incretin mimetics (GLP-1 agonists)	Novo Nordisk Ltd	Once-daily injectable medicine indicated for management of type 2 diabetes