Metabolic Responses of Dapagliflozin vs Sitagliptin in T2DM Patients Inadequately Controlled With Insulin Therapy

The use of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) has been associated with increased serum ketone levels. However, most previous studies included subjects who were either insulin or even drug naïve with relatively short duration of diabetes. It is well known that insulin deficiency increases the risk of developing ketoacidosis with SGLT2 inhibitors. Moreover, since the glucose-lowering effect of SGLT2 inhibitors is at its maximum at 3 to 6 months after use, the extent of increase in serum ketone levels and its clinical relevance with chronic use of SGLT2 inhibitors, especially among insulin-treated patients that often have longer duration of diabetes and potentially more insulin deficient than those who are insulin naive, have not been clearly defined. Therefore, the investigators perform this randomised study to evaluate the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on serum ketone levels among Chinese patients with T2DM inadequately controlled with insulin therapy.