Volunteers sought for promising diabetes study

The Pacific Health Research & Education Institute in Hono­lulu is taking part in a nationwide study to determine what combination of drugs works best to treat patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes effort will research four different well-known drugs to be used with metformin, considered the most common drug to treat the condition.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Individuals are unable to produce enough insulin to keep blood glucose at normal levels, according to the American Diabetes Association-Hawaii.

A normal glucose level is less than 100 milligrams per deciliter.

Doctors may prescribe patients a second drug to help manage their glucose levels.

Dr. Helen Petrovitch, principal investigator of the Pacific Health Research & Education Institute, said this is the first time the four drugs — sitagliptin (Januvia), glimepiride (Amaryl), liraglutide (Victoza) or glargine (Lantus) — are being compared head to head.

The education institute, affiliated with the Veteran Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System in Hono­lulu, is seeking 150 people to participate in the study. It’s open to both veterans and nonveterans who are over 30, have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the past decade and are taking only metformin.

Patients will be split into four groups and will take one of the four drugs in combination with metformin. They will undergo medical visits once every three months for the next five to seven years.

So far, 32 patients on Oahu are involved in the study, which started in November.

"Ninety percent of them are really doing well in the study, no matter what medications they’re on," said Petrovich.

Ahuimanu resident Bradley Endrizal, 42, who has been taking metformin and Victoza for two months, said the combination has completely regulated his blood glucose level.

"It’s quite amazing," he said. "I haven’t had a reading above 100 in probably a month."

His blood glucose level was well above 200 mg/dL before taking the combination of drugs, he said.

Diabetes is huge epidemic in the U.S. and is common among Asians and Pacific Islanders. In 2013 an estimated 92,000 adults in Hawaii had diabetes, 8.4 percent of all adults in the state, according to epidemiologist Tonya Lowery St. John of the Department of Health’s Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division.

Those interested in participating in the study may call 436-8593.