Bromocriptine approved as the first medication to target dopamine activity to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Michael A Via1, Himani Chandra2, Takako Araki1, Matthew V Potenza3, Maria Skamagas41Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; 2Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, James J Peters VA Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; 3Diabetes and Endocrinology, West Nyack, New York, NY, USA; 4Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USAAbstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to rise in prevalence in the United States and worldwide. Despite advances in medical treatments for T2DM, many patients remain uncontrolled. By targeting centrally mediated pathways of glucose metabolism, bromocriptine represents a novel therapeutic option in T2DM. Several small clinical trials demonstrate improvements in insulin resistance and glycemic control. After the submission of data from four recent, large clinical trials, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of bromocriptine in T2DM. We review the available data from these four trials and other published studies. Bromocriptine is a promising therapy for diabetes patients and demonstrates modest improvements in glycemic control.Keywords: bromocriptine, dopamine agonists, diabetes, glycemic control