ReviewInternational journal of clinical practice2014
GLP-1 receptor agonists vs. DPP-4 inhibitors for type 2 diabetes: is one approach more successful or preferable than the other?
Review in International journal of clinical practice, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Incretin based treatments and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2017Pooled it
- Effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists on waist circumference among type 2 diabetes patients: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Endocrine · 2015 · on this mapPooled it
- Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of oral insulin versus placebo for patients with diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Indian journal of pharmacologyPooled it
- Reduction of postprandial glucose by lixisenatide vs sitagliptin treatment in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes on background insulin glargine: A randomized phase IV study (NEXTAGE Study).Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2017Trial
- Use of Sitagliptin With Closed-Loop Technology to Decrease Postprandial Blood Glucose in Type 1 Diabetes.Journal of diabetes science and technology · 2017Trial
- Impact of incretin therapies on biochemical and imaging outcomes in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.American journal of preventive cardiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Targeting Gut Microbiota by DPP-4 Inhibitors in Obesity: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Implications.Current nutrition reports · 2026Review
- Phenome-wide analysis of downstream health outcomes following second-line antidiabetic agent prescriptions in All of Us.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Survival and Recurrence With GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Breast Cancer.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Cost-Effectiveness of Highly Effective Glucose-Lowering Agents: Do Current Practices Optimize Clinical and Economic Outcomes?Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders · 2026Article
- Discovery of novel pyrazole-isatin and pyrazole-triazole-isatin hybrids as DPP-4 inhibitors.Journal of computer-aided molecular design · 2026Article
- GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Therapy and Cardiorenal Outcomes in Patients ≥ 80 Years Old With Type 2 Diabetes.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Article
- Agonism and Biased Signaling.Handbook of experimental pharmacology · 2026Review
- Dual-Target Insight into Drug Discovery from Natural Products as Modulators of GLP-1 and the TXNIP-Thioredoxin Antioxidant System in Metabolic Syndrome.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Glucagon-like peptide and its receptor agonists for the treatment of rheumatic diseases.World journal of experimental medicine · 2025Review
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An Evolving Therapeutic Landscape with an Emerging Role for Incretin-Based Therapies.Advances in therapy · 2025Review
- Comparative Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Perspectives on Antidiabetic Therapies in Humans, Dogs, and Cats.Pharmaceutics · 2025Review
- GLP-1 RA Use and Survival Among Older Adults With Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes.JAMA network open · 2025Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), incretin-based therapies improve glycaemic control with low incidence of hypoglycaemia and without weight gain, both advantages over traditional add-ons to metformin. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are administered orally and provide a physiological increase in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels, while GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are injectable and deliver pharmacological levels of GLP-1RA. This review aims to distinguish between GLP-1RAs and DPP-4 inhibitors, and discuss when each may be favoured in clinical practice.
methodsA MEDLINE search, limited to human clinical trials and using the search criteria 'GLP-1RA' or 'DPP-4 inhibitor', identified seven head-to-head studies and one relevant post hoc analysis (all a GLP-1RA vs. the DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin). In combination with treatment algorithms, product prescribing information and personal clinical experience, these studies were used to compare the efficacy and suitability of GLP-1RAs and DPP-4 inhibitors in patients with T2D.
resultsIn head-to-head clinical trials, GLP-1RAs provided greater glycaemic control, weight loss and overall treatment satisfaction vs. the DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin. Transient nausea was more frequent with GLP-1RAs and should be addressed through patient education and an incremental dosing approach. Current treatment algorithms recommend incretin-based therapy use after metformin failure, but local guidance may restrict their use.
conclusionGLP-1RAs provide superior glycaemic control and weight loss vs. DPP-4 inhibitors in patients with T2D. DPP-4 inhibitors may sometimes be preferred to a GLP-1RA if weight is not a concern, oral administration is a desirable feature or when a GLP-1RA cannot be tolerated.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.