Evidence mapPaperPMID 40842035Full record

Observational studyJournal of health, population, and nutrition2025

Comparative assessment of treatment outcomes of empagliflozin add-on metformin and sitagliptin add-on metformin therapies in uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus: findings from an observational study in Pakistan.

Arif Ullah Khan, Muhammad Junaid Hassan Sharif, Muhammad Ashfaq, Qasim Khan, Muhammad Mamoon Iqbal, Ayesha Iqbal, Adel Bashatah, Wajid Syed, Naji Alqahtani

Abstract readObservational StudyComparative Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of health, population, and nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Neurovascular Actions of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors and Their Implications for Cognitive Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Arif Ullah KhanDepartment of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Muhammad Junaid Hassan SharifDepartment of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Muhammad AshfaqDepartment of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Qasim KhanDepartment of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan. qasimmunir@cuiatd.edu.pk.
Muhammad Mamoon IqbalDepartment of Respiratory sciences, University of Leicester. University Rd, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK.
Ayesha IqbalDivision of Pharmacy Practice and Policy, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park Campus, Nottingham, NG72RD, UK.
Adel BashatahDepartment of Nursing Administration and Education, College of Nursing, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia.
Wajid SyedDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia.
Naji AlqahtaniDepartment of Nursing Administration and Education, College of Nursing, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia. alqnaji@KSU.EDU.SA.

Funding

King Saud University, Ongoing Research Funding Program, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ORF-2025-856)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus warrant the utilization of different combination antidiabetic therapies, however, the addition of these newer agents as add-on therapy increases the risk of side effects and needs to be further investigated in terms of their risk to benefit to the patient. Therefore, the current study aims to evaluate the clinical and safety outcomes in patients taking empagliflozin and Sitagliptin in addition to metformin.

methodA cross-sectional study was conducted using a non-probability consecutive sampling technique to gather data at the Diabetes and Foot Care Clinic in Abbottabad from July 2023 to December 2023. This is an exploratory observational study in which a total of 155 study participants were selected and divided into two groups: Group A, treated with Sitagliptin add-on Metformin (n = 79), and Group B, treated with Empagliflozin add-on Metformin (n = 76), Biochemical parameters (HbA1c, serum creatinine) were collected and eGFR was calculated at baseline and after a 3-month follow-up. All statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 23.

resultsAmong the participant's majority (53.5%) were males whereas the mean age of the participants was 51.7 ± 10.5 years. Baseline HbA1c and serum creatinine of all the patients were found to be 9.5 ± 1.8% and 1.02 ± 0.2 mg/dL respectively. There was a statistically significant decrease in mean HbA1c values in both the groups at baseline and follow-up (p < 0.001) whereas both the groups were found to be similar in their ability to reduce HbA1c (p = 0.25). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant decrease in serum creatinine values in both the groups at baseline and follow-up (p = 0.002) whereas Empagliflozin add-on Metformin was found to have more ability to reduce serum creatinine (p = 0.01) as compared to Sitagliptin add-on Metformin (p = 0.06). As a result, Empagliflozin add-on Metformin improved the patients' eGFR significantly (p = 0.001).

conclusionEmpagliflozin as add on therapy in uncontrolled T2DM provided improvements in patients HbA1c, serum creatinine, and eGFR hence improving overall clinical outcomes and patient safety.

Indexed as

Benzhydryl CompoundsDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2GlucosidesHypoglycemic AgentsMetforminSitagliptin PhosphateAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleGlycated HemoglobinHumansMaleMiddle AgedPakistanBenzhydryl CompoundsempagliflozinGlucosidesGlycated HemoglobinHypoglycemic AgentsMetforminSitagliptin PhosphateAssessmentMetforminSitagliptinTreatment outcomeType 2 diabetes mellitus

Identifiers

PMID40842035
PMCPMC12372316

What Socratic holds

Texttitle and abstract
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.