Acarbose: profile and news

Bayer Earns $379m From Diabetes Drug Feb 14, 2006
...brands in the world. Glucobay, scientifically known as acarbose, is sold by the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer. According to the ... - AllAfrica.com,

Ranbaxy Launches Volix (Voglibose) For Treatment Of Diabetes ... Jan 30, 2006
...will provide Indian doctors with an efficacious medicine which is a strong and selective inhibitor as compared to the available ‘Alpha-Glucosidase' - Acarbose ... - Medical News Today (press release),

New drug for diabetes Jan 24, 2006
...drug. Volix (Voglibose) is found to be efficient and selective inhibitor as compared to the available Alpha-Glucosidase - Acarbose. - Andhra Cafe,

Reducing the Risk for Cardiovascular Complications in Diabetes Oct 26, 2005
Goke B. Improved glycemic control and lipid profile in a randomized study of pioglitazone compared with acarbose in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. ... - Medscape (subscription)

Glimepiride in the medical management of Type 2 diabetes Oct 23, 2005
...first- and second-generation sulfonylureas (glimepiride, glipizide, and glyburide), biguanides (metformin), á-glucosidase inhibitors (acarbose and miglitol ... - MedIndia,

Ethnicity and Type 2 Diabetes: Special Emphasis on Pathogenesis ... Oct 13, 2005
There are many options for combination therapy for type 2 DM. They include: Acarbose or miglitol + any other glucose-lowering drug. ... - Medscape (subscription)

Contributions of Basal and Post-Prandial Hyperglycaemia to Micro ... Aug 12, 2005
...placebo-controlled STOPNIDDM trial (Study to Prevent Non- Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus), an α-glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, delayed progression from ... - RedNova.com,

Strategies to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Aug 12, 2005
Additionally, new- onset diabetes was reduced by several oral pharmacologic anti- diabetic agents including metformin, acarbose and troglitazone in randomized ... - RedNova.com,

Shedding Pounds: Drugs not likely to be solution to obesity Aug 15, 2005
They include Glucophage (metformin), Precose (acarbose) and Glyset (miglitol), approved to control blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes; the anti-seizure ... - Winston-Salem Journal,

Drugs Alone Not Answer to Obesity Aug 2, 2005
They include Glucophage (metformin), Precose (acarbose) and Glyset (miglitol), which are approved to control blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes; the ... - The Ledger

Ask the internist: Variety of medications can help with diabetes ... Jul 19, 2005
Alpha-Glucosidase inhibitors (Precose or acarbose, Glyset or miglitol): These are taken with a meal and block the gut from absorbing glucose. ... - Billings Gazette <**results**>

World Congress on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome Jun 13, 2005
...presented a rollercoaster of the myriad pharmaceutical approaches potentially effective in the IRS, including metformin, acarbose, thiazolidinediones, insulin ... - Medscape (subscription)

Indian herb may be used to help diabetes sufferers Mar 27, 2005
There are prescription drugs, such as Glyset (miglitol) and Precose (acarbose), that work in a similar fashion, but Hertzler sees a demand for alternatives. ... - News Target

Taking liver-taxing drugs calls for periodic testing Apr 5, 2005
Acarbose (Precose), amiodarone (Cordarone), amprenavir (Agenerase), atorvastatin (Lipitor), azathioprine (Imuran), bosentan (Tracleer), carbamazepine (Tegretol ... - Contra Costa Times,

Doctors Say Diabetes Maybe Preventable Feb 28, 2005
Another trial found that another drug, Acarbose, which delays the digestion of carbohydrates in the blood, reduced the risk of diabetes by 25 percent. ... - Howard University Hilltop (subscription),

Diet, exercise slow rising blood sugar levels Feb 14, 2005
...likely to get diabetes. Another trial found that another drug, acarbose, reduced the risk of diabetes by 25 percent. "That was the ... - Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription),

Other information

Indication
For treatment and Management of Diabetes type II (Used in combination therapy as a Second or third line agent)

Pharmacology
Used to reduce blood gluose in patients with type 2 diabetes. Acarbose is a complex oligosaccharide that delays the digestion of ingested carbohydrates, thereby resulting in a smaller rise in blood glucose concentration following meals. Acarbose binds to and inhibits alpha amylase and alpha-gluocside hydrolases. In diabetic patients, this enzyme inhibition results in a delayed glucose absorption and a lowering of postprandial hyperglycemia.

Mechanism Of Action
Acarbose reversibly bind to pancreatic alpha-amylase and membrane-bound intestinal alpha-glucoside hydrolases. These enzymes inhibit hydrolysis of complex starches to oligosaccharides in the lumen of the small intestine and hydrolysis of oligosaccharides, trisaccharides, and disaccharides to glucose and other monosaccharides in the brush border of the small intestine.

Drug Category
Hypoglycemic Agents; Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors; ATC:A10BF01

Brand Names/Synonyms
Acarbose; Precose

Dosage Forms
TABLET

Absorption
Not Available

Interactions
Interactions for Acarbose: Certain drugs tend to produce hyperglycemia and may lead to loss of blood glucose control. These drugs include the thiazides and other diuretics, corticosteroids, phenothiazines, thyroid products, estrogens, oral contraceptives, phenytoin, nicotinic acid, sympathomimetics, calcium channel-blocking drugs, and isoniazid. When such drugs are administered to a patient receiving Acarbose, the patient should be closely observed for loss of blood glucose control. When such drugs are withdrawn from patients receiving Acarbose in combination with sulfonylureas or insulin, patients should be observed closely for any evidence of hypoglycemia. Intestinal adsorbents (e. g., charcoal) and digestive enzyme preparations containing carbohydrate-splitting enzymes (e. g., amylase, pancreatin) may reduce the effect of Acarbose and should not be taken concomitantly. Acarbose has been shown to change the bioavailabillty digoxin when they are co-administered, which may require digoxin dose adjustment. Studies in healthy volunteers have shown that Acarbose has no effect on either the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of digoxin, nifedipine, propranolol, or ranitidine. Acarbose did not interfere with the absorption or disposition of the sulfonylurea glyburide in diabetic patients. Acarbose may affect digoxin bioavailabillty and may require dose adjustment of digoxin by 16% (90% confidence interval: 8-23%), decrease mean C max digoxin by 26% (90% confidence interval: 16-34%) and decrease mean trough concentrations of digoxin by 9% (90% confidence limit: 19% decrease to 2% increase). The amount of metformin absorbed while taking Acarbose was bioequivalent to the amount absorbed when taking placebo, as indicated by the plasma AUC values. However, the peak plasma level of metformin was reduced by approximately 20% when taking Acarbose due to a slight delay in the absorption of metformin. There is little if any clinically significant interaction between Acarbose and metformin.

Chemical IUPAC Name
5-[5-[3,4-dihydroxy-6-methyl-5-[[4,5,6-trihydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)-1-cyclohex-2-enyl]amino]tetrahydropyran-2-yl]amino-3,4-dihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydropyran-2-yl]amino-6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydropyran-2,3,4-triol

Chemical Formula
C25H45N3O16

Half Life
2 hours

Drug Type
Approved Drug

# Accession No
APRD00656

CAS Registry Number
56180-94-0