We are writing to inform you about a recommended change to your diabetes medication (gliptin or DPP4i). Following a routine review of your treatment for diabetes, in line with updated NHS Devon guidance, we propose switching your current medication, linagliptin, alogliptin, saxagliptin or vildagliptin (“gliptins”) to the recommended preferred formulary choice sitagliptin Sitagliptin: medicine to treat type 2 diabetes – NHS.
Why Are We Recommending This Change?
- Equally Safe and Effective: Sitagliptin works in the same way as other gliptins to help reduce the sugar in your blood. Sitalgliptin is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and is widely used across the NHS
- Cost-Effectiveness for NHS Resources: Generic sitagliptin is now classified as a “best value” option by the NHS. This allows the NHS to allocate resources more efficiently while maintaining high-quality care
- Identical Treatment Regime: Like the other “gliptins”, sitagliptin is taken once daily, so your routine will not change.
What Do You Need to Do?
We will arrange for your prescription to be updated to sitagliptin and send through a new prescription to your pharmacy.
If you have concerns about this change, or if you’ve experienced side effects with sitagliptin in the past, contact us to discuss further using an online consultation here
Safeguarding Your Health
At least annual reviews of diabetes therapy are standard practice to ensure safety and effectiveness. All patients on these medicines need at least an annual blood test and weight check to ensure the dose prescribed is safe and appropriate for you. This switch aligns with that process.
No additional monitoring is required beyond your usual check-ups.
Support for the Change
Your community pharmacy will be able to support you with this change under the New Medicine Service (NMS) and will be able to answer any questions you may have, but for most patients, they won’t notice any difference between these medicines.
This adjustment reflects the NHS’s commitment to providing clinically effective care while ensuring resources are used responsibly for the benefit of all patients. Thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
The Clinical Team
Beacon Medical Group