Efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a potential antidiabetic drug

Authors

  • Mithun Kumar D. Department of Pharmacology, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
  • Laxminarayana Kamath Department of Pharmacology, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
  • Narayana Reddy S. Department of Pharmacology, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20171100

Keywords:

Antidiabetic drugs, Hydroxychloroquine, Lipid profile, Novel

Abstract

Background: India is the world’s diabetic capital. Oral antidiabetic therapy is still incomplete. Prior studies have shown that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a commonly used antimalarial, anti-rheumatic drug reduces the risk of developing diabetes mellitus. It probably acts by decreasing insulin metabolism- a novel mechanism of action.

Methods: A systematic search was done in MEDLINE database with key words ‘Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus’, ‘Hydroxychloroquine’. Articles assessing the antidiabetic efficacy of hydroxychloroquine were reviewed and their results summarized.

Results: With extensive literature search, we found out three RCTs and four Cohort studies assessing the efficacy of HCQ on glycaemic markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two randomized controlled trials done by Gerstein H C et al, Pareek A et al, comparing hydroxychloroquine with established antidiabetic drugs showed that there is significant reduction in glycaemic parameters with comparable similarity in both the groups (HbA1c: -0.91%±0.4%). Solomon et al in their study on patients with RA concluded that HCQ improved insulin sensitivity. Two cohort studies by Chen Y M et al and Wasko MCM et al respectively showed reduced incidence of diabetes mellitus in Systemic lupus erythematosus (Hazard ratio=0.26) and rheumatologic disease (relative risk=0.23) patients who received hydroxychloroquine. In a cohort study by Rekedal LR et al, HCQ reduced HbA1c by 0.66% compared to baseline in patients with RA. These studies also showed that hydroxychloroquine has favourable effect on lipid profile and good tolerability

Conclusions: Hydroxychloroquine has a potential to enter antidiabetic armamentarium due to its efficacy and low toxicity profile. More studies are required to confirm this.

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Published

2017-03-25

How to Cite

Kumar D., M., Kamath, L., & S., N. R. (2017). Efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a potential antidiabetic drug. International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 6(4), 895–900. https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20171100

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Original Research Articles