Abstract
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, gliptins, are oral antidiabetic drugs with demonstrated efficacy and safety in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. One of the main characteristics of this group of drugs is their glucose- -dependent effect, associated with minimum risk of occurrence of episodes of hypoglycaemia that may otherwise result in the development of cardiovascular complications.
Intense and simultaneously safe therapy of hyperglycaemia represents the basic mechanism of reducing the risk of organ complications. A growing body of preclinical and recently also clinical results points to further reduction of cardiovascular risk as a result of gliptin therapy that is independent of improved metabolic control.
Whether some clinical correlate is associated with this additive favourable effect remains to be shown in future, longer-term prospective studies whose results should be available soon.