Dr. Nathan answers the question: 'What Are DPP-IV Inhibitors?'
Question: What are DPP-IV inhibitors and when are they used?
Answer:The DPP-IV inhibitors are a very new class of drugs, and they are taken as pills. The way that they work is by decreasing the breakdown of a substance you make yourself -- everyone makes it. And what this substance does is that it stimulates insulin secretion. So what these drugs do is they essentially increase your ability to make insulin.
They've been around not for very long. We don't know all that much about them since they were only approved in the year 2007. The drugs are taken, as I said, as pills, usually twice per day. And they work by lowering your blood sugar. So the way that you know they're working is that your blood sugar will decrease. These medicines are usually very well tolerated with very few side effects.
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