• Comparison of the Effectiveness of Empagliflozin and Metformin, in Controlling Diabetes in Patients with Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus(PTDM)
  • Amirhossein Niknejad,1 Yasamin Hosseini,2 Mehdi Rajabi,3 Shadi Baniasadi,4 Farah Naghashzadeh,5 Maryam Vasheghani,6,*
    1. TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    2. TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    3. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
    4. Tracheal Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
    5. Lung Transplantation Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
    6. Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: Solid organ transplantation is considered a life-saving solution for end-stage patients. Post-transplant diabetes (PTDM) is a common complication after organ transplantation which affects quality of life and longevity of patients. Currently, the standard treatment is insulin therapy. This study investigates the efficacy and safety of metformin and empagliflozin in these patients.
  • Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trial. 40 PTDM patients were randomized to receive either empagliflozin (10mg/day) or Metformin (500mg/day) for 90 days (1:1). Blood samples were taken from patients at baseline and at the end of the treatment period to measure fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), post prandial glucose(PPG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), Creatinine, alanine amino transferase(ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Bilirubin, Albumin, Na and K.
  • Results: Mean FBS was alleviated from 167 to 126.5 mg/dl in the metformin group and from 174.8 to 121.6 mg/dl in the empagliflozin group. Notably, HbA1c was reduced from 7.48 to 6.89% from 7.67 to 6.84% in those groups, respectively. No significant alterations were observed regarding other measured parameters.
  • Conclusion: Both drugs seem to be safe in PTDM patients. Empagliflozin even exerted superiority in alleviating hyperglycemia. Further large-scale clinical evaluations are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of these drugs.
  • Keywords: Metformin, Empagliflozin, Post-transplant diabetes mellitus(PTDM)