The effect of vildagliptin relative to sulphonylureas in Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes fasting during Ramadan: the VIRTUE study

Summary Aims To assess, in a real‐world setting, the effect of vildagliptin compared with sulphonylurea (SU) treatment on hypoglycaemia in Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) fasting during Ramadan. Methods This multinational, non‐interventional study, conducted in Asia and the Middle East, included Muslim adult patients with T2DM who received treatment with vildagliptin or SU as add‐on to metformin or monotherapy. During a ~16‐week observation period, data were collected up to 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after Ramadan fasting. The primary study objective was to compare the proportion of patients with ≥ 1 hypoglycaemic event (HE) during fasting. Results Of > 1300 patients enrolled in the study, 684 were treated with vildagliptin and 631 with SUs. Significantly fewer patients experienced ≥ 1 HE with vildagliptin compared with those receiving SUs (5.4% vs. 19.8%, respectively; p