Widely used diabetes drug linked to birth defects risk in kids of male patients: Study

One of the world's most widely prescribed diabetes drugs may be linked to major birth defects in the offspring of male patients who were taking it ahead of the babies being conceived, according to a new study from Denmark released on Monday. Widely used diabetes drug linked to birth defects risk in kids of male patients: Study Metformin, among the most common and often initially prescribed treatments for type 2 diabetes, was associated with a 1.4 times greater risk of birth defects in boys whose fathers were taking the drug compared with those born to fathers who were not, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and Stanford University in the United States found. In the study of 1,116,779 births in Denmark from 1997 to 2016, the researchers found that 5.2% of babies born to men who had been taking metformin had birth defects, particularly genital defects in boys. "If patients would like to switch to an alternative, they should contact their doctor," Maarten Wensink, a public health professor at the University of Southern Denmark and a study author, told Reuters, adding that the best treatment for type 2 diabetes remains lifestyle interventions such as dietary changes and weight loss.