Combination therapy for type 2 diabetes: dapagliflozin plus metformin

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic and multifactorial metabolic disease, which brings great threats to public health. The morbidity of T2D keeps growing, and it is estimated that the population with T2D will rise to 552 million throughout the world by 2030. Effective glycemic control in patients is crucial for the treatment of T2D. However, with progressive deterioration of disease, most patients are usually unable to achieve glycemic targets receiving antidiabetic agent monotherapy. In such cases, combination therapy with different mechanisms of antidiabetic agents is highly desired. In addition, combination therapy can provide advantages beyond better glycemic improvement such as reduced incidence of hypoglycemia and cardiovascular events. Areas covered: We reviewed all the published data regarding the fixed-dose combination therapy of dapagliflozin combined with metformin, including complementary mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy and safety. Expert opinion: The fixed-dose combination of dapagliflozin and metformin exerts synergistic effects based on two antidiabetic agents with complementary mechanisms of action. Rational co-administration of dapagliflozin and metformin provides better glycemic control with potential weight loss and the reduced incidence of hypoglycaemia.