Colesevelam hydrochloride improved glycemic control

Patients with type 2 diabetes receiving sulfonylurea-based therapy improved glycemic control and reduced LDL cholesterol after the addition of colesevelam hydrochloride treatment, according to the findings from a recent study.

Researchers from New Jersey and other sites conducted a 26-week, double blind study to examine the safety and efficacy of colesevelam (Welchol, Daiichi Sankyo) for reducing HbA1c levels in participants with inadequate glycemic control (HbA1c levels, 7.5%-9.5%).

Participants were randomly assigned to 3.75 g per day of colesevelam (n=230) or placebo (n=231).

From baseline to 26 weeks, the least squares mean change for HbA1c levels was –0.32% for the colesevelam group compared with +0.23% in the placebo group, according to the researchers. The least squares mean change for LDL cholesterol was –16.1% in the colesevelam group vs. +0.6% in the placebo group.

Patients receiving colesevelam experienced reductions in fasting plasma glucose, fructosamine, total cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B, compared with the placebo group, according to the researchers.

“The positive effects of colesevelam in patients with type 2 diabetes reported in this study suggest that the bile acid sequestrant colesevelam may represent a novel therapeutic add-on strategy for improving multiple metabolic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes,” the researchers wrote.

Diabetes Care. 2008;31:1479-1484.