Vildamet

This tablet is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercises to improve glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus whose diabetes is not adequately controlled on Metformin Hydrochloride or Vildagliptin alone or who are already treated with the combination of Vildagliptin and Metformin Hydrochloride, as separate tablets.

Dosage & Administration

Adults
: Based on the patient's current dose of Metformin, this combination may be initiated at twice daily, 1 tablet in the morning and the other in the evening. Patients receiving Vildagliptin and Metformin from separate tablets may be switched to this combination containing the same doses of each component. Doses higher than 100 mg of vildagliptin are not recommended. There is no clinical experience of Vildagliptin and Metformin in triple combination with other antidiabetic agents. Taking this combination with or just after food may reduce gastrointestinal symptoms associated with Metformin.

The most common side effects are headache, tremor, dizziness, nausea, hypoglycaemia etc.

Lactic acidosis can occur due to Metformin accumulation. If metabolic acidosis is suspected, treatment should be discontinued and the patient should be hospitalized immediately. Serum creatinine should be monitored at least once a year in patients with normal renal function and 2–4 times a year in patients with serum creatinine levels at the upper limit of normal and in elderly patients. Special caution should be exercised in elderly patients where renal function may become impaired (e.g. when initiating antihypertensives, diuretics or NSAIDs). It is recommended that Liver Function Tests (LFTs) are monitored prior to initiation of Aptin M, at three-monthly intervals in the first year and periodically thereafter. If transaminase levels are increased, patients should be monitored with a second liver function evaluation to confirm the finding and be followed thereafter with frequent liver function tests until the abnormality return to normal. If AST or ALT persist at 3 x ULN, Vildagliptin & Metformin tablets should be stopped Patients who develop jaundice or other signs of liver dysfunction. Following withdrawal of treatment with Vildagliptin & Metformin and LFT normalization, treatment with Vildagliptin & Metformin should not be reinitiated. Vildagliptin & Metformin tablets should be discontinued 48 hours before elective surgery with general anaesthesia and should not usually be resumed earlier than 48 hours afterwards.

Vildagliptin acts primarily by inhibiting DPP-4 (Dipeptidyl peptidase-4), the enzyme responsible for the degradation of the incretin hormones GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). The administration of Vildagliptin results in a rapid and complete inhibition of DPP-4 activity resulting in increased fasting and postprandial endogenous levels of the incretin hormones GLP-1 and GIP. By increasing the endogenous levels of these incretin hormones, Vildagliptin increases insulin secretion from the pancreatic beta cell and decreases glucagon secretion from alpha cell. The enhanced increase in the insulin/glucagon ratio during hyperglycaemia due to increased incretin hormone levels results in a decrease in fasting and postprandial hepatic glucose production, leading to reduced glycaemia.
Metformin Hydrochloride is a biguanide type oral antihyperglycemic drug used in the management of type 2 diabetes. It lowers both basal and postprandial plasma glucose. Its mechanism of action is different from those of sulfonylureas and it does not produce hypoglycemia. Glucomin decreases hepatic glucose production, decreases intestinal absorption of glucose and improves insulin sensitivity by an increase in peripheral glucose uptake and utilization.