Ethnic Differences in Efficacy and Safety of Alogliptin: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Alogliptin is a highly selective, potent, and orally available dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor. This study compared the glucose-lowering efficacy and safety of alogliptin between Asian and non-Asian patients with type 2 diabetes.

We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ISI Web of Science databases for articles published June 2017 and earlier in English. We identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adults with type 2 diabetes that compared alogliptin with placebo as either monotherapy or add-on therapy. We divided subgroups by ethnicity, and compared the results of alogliptin use in Asian and non-Asian-dominant studies.

A total of 15 RCTs with 4456 patients with type 2 diabetes were included in this study. Alogliptin lowered glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) to a much greater extent in Asian-dominant studies [− 0.75% (95% CI − 0.84 to − 0.65)] than in non-Asian-dominant studies [− 0.61% (95% CI − 0.68 to − 0.54)] (P = 0.02). The risk ratio of achieving HbA1c goal was larger in Asian-dominant studies [2.88 (95% CI 2.15–3.87)] than in non-Asian-dominant studies [1.93 (95% CI 1.55–2.41)] (P = 0.03). The postprandial blood glucose-lowering efficacy was higher in Asian-dominant studies [− 2.42 mmol/l (95% CI − 2.99 to − 1.85)] than in non-Asian-dominant studies [− 0.60 mmol/l (95% CI − 1.60 to 0.40)] (P = 0.002), while the fasting blood glucose and body weight changes were similar between the two subgroups. The incidence of adverse events, including hypoglycemia, nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and diarrhea, were comparable between the two groups.

Alogliptin is more effective in improving glycemic levels in Asians than in other ethnic populations. Future studies are required to explore the potential mechanisms.