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Old antipsychotic drugs may o er a new option to treat Type 2 diabetes

A class of older antipsychotic drugs could o er a promising treatment option for people with Type 2 diabetes who aren’t able to take other available therapies, according to new research. “ ere is a growing need to find new therapies for Type 2 diabetes,” says John Ussher, professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and lead author of a recent study published in the journal Diabetes e drug metformin is one of the most common therapeutics for Type 2 diabetes, but about 15 per cent of patients aren’t able to take it, explains Ussher, a member of the Alberta Diabetes Institute and the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute. Another type of drug class (insulin secretagogues) commonly used to treat diabetes isn’t as e ective for later-stage patients.

In their study, Ussher and his team looked at succinyl CoA:3ketoacid CoA transferase (SCOT), an enzyme the body needs to make energy from ketones. ey used computer modelling to find drugs that could potentially interact with SCOT and landed on an older generation of antipsychotic drugs, a drug class called diphenylbutylpiperidines, or DPBP for short. “We’ve tested three drugs from the class, and they all interact with this enzyme,” says Ussher. “ ey all improve blood sugar control by preventing the muscle from burning ketones as a fuel source.” ough clinical trials are still needed, repurposing an older drug will allow the researchers to focus specifically on the e cacy and safety of the new intended use — o ering the potential to provide a new therapeutic more quickly and coste ectively. —

ADRIANNA MACPHERSON