Glycated albumin (GA) is more advantageous than hemoglobin A1c for evaluating the efficacy of sitagliptin in achieving glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the utility of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and glycated albumin (GA) for evaluating the efficacy of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, sitagliptin, in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Sitagliptin (50 mg) was administered orally once daily in 67 outpatients with type 2 diabetes. Drug effectiveness was deemed present if the HbA1c or GA level decreased by 5% at week 4 and week 12 relative to the baseline value. RESULTS: The mean HbA1c level decreased from 8.1 ± 1.0% at baseline to 7.8 ± 0.9% at week 4 and 7.2 ± 0.8% at week 12. The mean GA level decreased from 25.0 ± 4.5% at baseline to 22.2 ± 3.8% at week 4 and 20.8 ± 3.5% at week 12. At week 4 and week 12, the drug was effective in 37.8% and 71.6% of the patients, respectively, when assessed based on changes in HbA1c, and in 83.6% and 97.0% of the patients, respectively, when assessed based on changes in GA. CONCLUSION: GA is superior to HbA1c for evaluating the efficacy of sitagliptin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes.