Abstract. This study was performed to examine the efficacy and safety of the rapid-and short-acting insulinotropic SUR ligand mitiglinide given as add-on therapy for 52 weeks in type 2 diabetic patients whose blood glucose was insufficiently controlled by pioglitazone monotherapy. Type 2 diabetic patients aged ≥20 years with postprandial plasma glucose (PPG1 or 2) ≥200 mg/dL and glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1C ) 6.5-<9.0% despite receiving pioglitazone 15-45 mg/day were additionally treated with concomitant mitiglinide 10 mg tid p.o. for a total treatment period of 52 weeks. In 171 patients recruited, HbA1C was significantly reduced from 7.64 ± 0.77% at baseline to 6.84 ± 0.73%, 6.64 ± 0.64%, 6.67 ± 0.57% and 6.81 ± 0.65% at weeks 16, 28, 40, and 52, respectively. Over half the patients achieved HbA 1C target of <7.0%, and one third <6.5%. Significant reductions in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and PPG 1 and 2 hours after a meal versus baseline were noted at all time-points evaluated. The most frequently noted adverse reactions were hypoglycemic symptoms, weight gain, and peripheral edema (all mild). In type 2 diabetic patients combination therapy with mitiglinide and pioglitazone exerted significant long-term improvements in HbA 1C , FPG, and PPG and was well tolerated. This drug combination therapy is a promising means of alleviating insufficient pancreatic insulin secretion and insulin resistance. TYPE 2 diabetes mellitus is a syndrome involving insufficient insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues [1]. Patients with this disease often have postprandial hyperglycemia because rapid additional secretion of insulin after meals is insufficient, and a vicious circle of glucotoxicity leading to protracted and advanced hyperglycemia arises when this condition continues. It has become clear from large-scale clinical studies that postprandial hyperglycemia is a risk factor for arteriosclerosis independent of hypertension and hyperlipidemia [2,3]. In the STOP-NIDDM trial [4] it was shown that improvement in postprandial hyperglycemia exerted by α-glucosidase inhibitors in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) delays the onset of cardiovascular events, and the importance of correction of postprandial hyperglycemia on limiting the progression of diabetes as well as preventing the onset of macrovascular diseases was thus suggested.At present, sulfonylurea (SU) agents and rapid-and short-acting insulinotropic SU receptor (SUR) ligands are used to supplement insufficient insulin secretion in type 2 diabetic patients. SU agents have strong hypoglycemic actions, but are ineffective at promoting additional secretion of insulin after meals. In addition, these agents are known to induce protracted hypoglycemia and obesity is a problem associated with their use. Mitiglinide is a new rapid-and short-acting insulinotropic SUR ligand, a benzylsuccinic acid deriva-
Study designThis was an open label study that consisted of a pretreatment observation period lasting 4 weeks and a 52-we...