Voglibose (INN and USAN, trade name Voglib, marketed by Mascot Health Series) is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor used for lowering postprandial blood glucose levels in people with diabetes mellitus.[1] Voglibose is a research product of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Japan's largest pharmaceutical company. Vogilbose was discovered in 1981, and was first launched in Japan in 1994,[2] under the trade name BASEN, to improve postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus.[3]
Postprandial hyperglycemia (PPHG) is primarily due to first phase insulin secretion. Alpha glucosidase inhibitors delay glucose absorption at the intestine level and thereby prevent sudden surge of glucose after a meal.[2]
There are three major drugs which belong to this class, acarbose, miglitol and voglibose,[2] of which voglibose is the newest.
A Cochrane systematic review assessed the effect of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors in people with impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting blood glucose, elevated glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).[4] It was found that there was no conclusive evidence that voglibose compared to diet and exercise or placebo reduced incidence of diabetes mellitus type 2, improved all-cause mortality, reduced or increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, serious or non-serious adverse events, non-fatal stroke, congestive heart failure, or non-fatal myocardial infarction.[4]