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A new “personalised” online tool that predicts the most effective medication for individual patients with type 2 diabetes could benefit millions of people with the condition, researchers have suggested.
It comes as a study found that fewer than one in five people with the condition in England are on the best medication for them to manage blood sugar levels.
The tool, designed by researchers at the University of Exeter in the UK, allows doctors to go online and input clinical data that is routinely collected on patients with diabetes.
This includes body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, and HbA1c, a blood test that measures average blood sugar levels over the previous two to three months.

The platform then recommends the most effective medication to lower blood sugar for that individual patient.
Researchers said their model is the first to their knowledge that gives a choice between five major drug classes, including DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1R agonists, sulfonylureas, SGLT2 inhibitors, and thiazolidinediones.
People with type 2 diabetes should manage their blood sugar to avoid complications such as kidney disease and nerve damage.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 800 million people around the world have diabetes, with more than half of them not receiving treatment.
Metformin is usually the first line of treatment, with five other types of medication also available, although the effectiveness of these drugs can vary from person to person.
This tool could mark the most significant advance in type 2 diabetes care in more than a decade
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK
The tool was developed and tested using data from one million people with type 2 diabetes in the UK.
Findings published in The Lancet medical journal suggest patients who were put on drugs recommended by the model had a lower 12-month HbA1c and a lower risk of complications.
These patients also had a 38 per cent lower risk of poor blood sugar control, also known as glycaemic failure, over five years, as well as lower five-year risks of complications with the heart and kidneys.

Dr John Dennis, an associate professor at the University of Exeter, who led the study, said: “We have developed a completely new personalised approach for diabetes treatment that could benefit everyone with type 2 diabetes in the UK and worldwide.
“For the first time, our model allows people living with type 2 diabetes to quickly identify the best treatment to manage their blood sugar levels, helping reduce their risk of diabetes complications.
“This offers a major advance on the current approach to choosing diabetes medications.”
Professor Andrew Hattersley, from the University of Exeter, said: “Critically, our model can be implemented in clinical care immediately and at no additional cost.
“This is because it uses simple measures such as sex, weight and standard blood tests that are performed routinely.
“We hope that we can roll out the model quickly to make it available to help people with type 2 diabetes in the UK and across the world.”

The study also highlighted that fewer than 18 per cent of patients in England were on the most effective drugs.
The tool’s performance in clinical practice is currently being assessed in 22,500 patients with type 2 diabetes across Scotland.
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, which supported the research, said: “This innovation using routine clinical data could help countless people with type 2 diabetes to get their blood sugar levels into a safe range, significantly reducing their risk of devastating diabetes complications and easing the burden of living with this relentless condition.
“If shown to be effective in practice and widely adopted by health services in the UK and globally, this tool could mark the most significant advance in type 2 diabetes care in more than a decade, improving health outcomes for millions.”
It comes after analysis by Diabetes UK found one in five adults in the UK is thought to be living with diabetes or prediabetes, which causes higher than normal blood sugars and carries a greater risk of developing the condition.

Some 4.6 million people are estimated to be living with a diabetes diagnosis, the highest on record.
Meanwhile, a further 1.3 million people are thought to have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, with about 6.3 million people living with prediabetes.
Dr Adam Babbs, head of translation at the UK’s Medical Research Council – one of the study’s funders – said: “With large variation between individuals with type 2 diabetes in how they respond to treatments, and many different treatments available, precision medicine like this has huge potential to improve patient outcomes and provide efficiencies for the healthcare system.”
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Wellness

Type 2 diabetes treatment tool that gives personalised drug suggestions a ‘major advance’

A woman with diabetes injects herself with insulin. The University of Exeter’s new tool could help diabetics around the world get optimal treatment to avoid complications. Photo: Shutterstock

A woman with a glucometer and diabetes kit. A new study found that one in five people with type 2 diabetes in England aren’t getting the best medication they need to manage their blood sugar levels. Photo: Shutterstock

Metformin is usually the first line of treatment for type 2 diabetes, but its efficacy varies from patient to patient. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr John Dennis, an associate professor at the University of Exeter, says the newly developed personalised approach for diabetes treatment could benefit everyone with type 2 diabetes. Photo: University of Exeter

A woman checks her glucose level while hiking. The new tool could help optimise treatment for millions of type 2 diabetes sufferers worldwide. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Miracle’ GLP-1 agonist weight-loss drugs help US woman shed 18kg, stop her prediabetes

Drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide, developed to fight diabetes but with powerful weight-loss effects, were key to property agent Kathryn Dean (above) achieving long-term weight loss. Photo: Instagram/@kathryndeanrealtor

Kathryn Dean (far right) with other luxury property agents in March, 2020 – three years before she started using semaglutide. Photo: Instagram/kathryndeanrealtor

Semaglutide is sold as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus. Photo: Shutterstock

Kathryn Dean felt like she was 25 again after taking semaglutide and tirzepatide for about 18 months. Photo: Kathryn Dean

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Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

The tool, which takes diabetics’ data and gives tailored medication suggestions, comes as many found to not be getting best drugs for them


The tool, which takes diabetics’ data and gives tailored medication suggestions, comes as many found to not be getting best drugs for them.


Disease

Medicine

World Health Organization (WHO)

Britain