Drug tackles weighty issue for diabetics

A DRUG which could be used to treat Lothian’s 30,000 type two diabetics while also helping them to lose weight has been approved in Scotland.

It is hoped that FORXIGA, which has been given the green light by the Scottish Medicines Consortium, will prove particularly effective as the majority of type two diabetes patients are overweight.

Dr Karen Adamson, clinical lead for the Diabetes Managed Clinical Network in Lothian, welcomed the news that she would be able to routinely prescribe the pill to her patients.

She said: “This gives us another option, it’s a completely new class of drug.”

The drug works by reducing the amount of sugar that is reabsorbed into kidneys, meaning more glucose is passed out of the body through urine – along with the calories.

Dr Adamson said: “Something that assists people in losing weight is really helpful. Weight is really important in managing type two diabetes.”

There are currently just over 30,587 people confirmed as having type two diabetes in Lothian. It is predicted that within 25 years, ten per cent of the population will be diabetic.