Janumet, a new oral treatment for type 2 diabetes, has been launched in the UK.
The combination tablet combines metformin, a widely used diabetes medicine, and Januvia (sitagliptin) a new generation of medicine in the class of DPP-4 inhibitors.
Recent research has shown that nearly half of Britons (45%) still wrongly perceive injections as the main treatment for type 2 diabetes and nine out of 10 said that they would prefer to take a tablet over an injection.
It is estimated that there are currently 500,000 individuals unaware they are living with the condition. “It is particularly important that these undiagnosed patients are not deterred from coming forward by misunderstandings around type 2 diabetes,” commented Dr Dawn Harper, GP in Gloucestershire. “If fears exist around injections, people need to know that many type 2 diabetics don’t need injections to manage their condition.”
The survey was conducted amongst 3,000 members of the general public in the UK by OnePoll in April 2010.
It also revealed that less than 20% of those surveyed were aware of the link between type 2 diabetes and stroke, and 43% did not know of the link with deterioration in vision or, in extreme cases, blindness.
Janumet, manufactured by Merck, Sharpe and Dohme, can be taken twice daily and has a low risk of weight gain and hypoglycaemia (or extreme blood sugar lows).
