Private MD News

Generic arthritis drug may help control diabetes symptoms

Category: Diabetes

According to a new study conducted by Joslin Diabetes Center researchers, the generic drug known as salsalate, which is commonly prescribed for arthritis, has shown promising results as a possible treatment option for type 2 diabetes.

In the three-month clinical trial, the researchers recruited 108 type 2 diabetes sufferers from 17 sites around the U.S. At the beginning of the study, all the patients had blood sugar levels of 7.0 to 9.5 percent.

After three months of treatment with salsalate, the majority of subjects saw this number drop by approximately 0.5 percent, which is in the range of several other recently released diabetes-specific medications.

"These results are exciting," said Allison Goldfine, Joslin's director of clinical research. "They indicate that salsalate may provide an effective, safe and inexpensive new avenue for diabetes treatment."

Goldfine added that patients who took salsalate experienced lowered triglycerides and higher levels of adiponectin, a protein known to support the heart.

However, she also noted that the findings are preliminary and further research needs to be conducted before the drug can safely be used by type 2 diabetes patients.