Initiation of glucose-lowering drugs reduces the anticoagulant effect of warfarin - but not through altered drug metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Drug metabolism might be altered in patients with type 2 diabetes. We aimed to evaluate if initiation of glucose-lowering drugs impacts warfarin efficacy and drug metabolism. First, we conducted a register-based self-controlled cohort study on Danish and Scottish warfarin users. Warfarin efficacy (International Normalized Ratio (INR)) was compared before and after initiation of glucose-lowering drugs. Second, we conducted a clinical pharmacokinetic trial comprising treatment-naïve type 2 diabetes patients. Patients ingested probe drugs for drug-metabolizing enzymes (the Basel Cocktail) before initiating glucose-lowering treatment, and after three and 12 weeks of treatment. Drug metabolism, glycemic control, and inflammation were assessed on each visit. In the Danish and Scottish cohorts (n=982 and n=44, respectively), initiating glucose-lowering drugs reduced warfarin efficacy. INR decreased from 2.47 to 2.21 in the Danish cohort (mean difference -0.26; 95% CI -0.35;-0.17) and from 2.33 to 2.13 in the Scottish cohort (-0.21; 95% CI -0.52;0.11) after initiation of glucose-lowering treatment. This impact on INR was more pronounced among individuals with stronger effects of glucose-lowering treatment. In the clinical pharmacokinetic trial (n=10), initiating metformin did not affect drug metabolism after three weeks (geometric mean ratio of CYP3A metabolic ratio: 1.12 (95% CI: 0.95;1.32)) or 12 weeks of metformin treatment. Glycemic control improved during treatment, while inflammation remained low and unchanged during treatment. In conclusion, initiation of glucose-lowering drugs among chronic warfarin users seems associated with a reduction in INR, particularly among individuals with a large decrease in HbA 1c . This effect seems unrelated to CYP enzyme activity and warfarin drug metabolism.