Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients are at an increased risk of complications following influenza-virus infection, seasonal vaccination (SV) is recommended. However, SV with trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) can induce antibody and type-I interferon (IFN) responses, and the effect of anti-DM treatment on these responses is incompletely understood. We evaluated the antibody response and IFN-α expression in individuals with and without type 2 DM (T2DM) following SV, and examined the effects on anti-DM treatment. TIV elicited sero-protection in all groups, but antibody persistency was <8 months, except for the antibody response to B-antigens in non-DM. T2DM impaired the IgG avidity index, and T2DM showed a significantly decreased response against H1N1 and H3N2, in addition to delaying and reducing haemagglutination-inhibition persistency against influenza B-antigens in DM groups treated with metformin (Met-DM) or glibenclamide (GB-DM). Following TIV, the Met-DM and GB-DM groups exhibited reduced IFN-α expression upon stimulation with whole-and split-virion influenza vaccines. Suppression of IFN-α expression in the Met-DM group was associated with a reduction in the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex-1 pathway and impaired IgG avidity index. Thus, single-dose TIV each year might not be suitable for T2DM. Our data could aid the development of an efficacious influenza vaccine for T2DM. The prevalence of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing worldwide, particularly in developing countries. In 2017, it was estimated that 451 million people worldwide were living with DM, and this number is expected to increase to 693 million by 2045 1. Due to multiple impairments of the immune system, patients with DM are more susceptible to infections such as influenza virus infection 2,3. Annual influenza vaccination is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the USA to prevent influenza infection 4. The efficacy of vaccination should be evaluated in patients with T2DM, who are classified as a high-risk group for influenza infection 2,5,6. Interestingly, it has been reported that anti-DM medications further impair immune responses 7-10. Metforminthe first-line anti-hyperglycaemic drug for T2DM in Thailand-has been reported to impair the immune response by upregulating the expression of 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinases (AMPKs) and inhibiting the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR)-mediated pathway 11,12. Glibenclamide is another anti-hyperglycaemic agent that has been reported to impair immune responses by decreasing the production of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8 and decreasing glutathione levels in polymorphonuclear cells 13. Furthermore,