ABSTRACT
This study was designed to compare the therapeutic effects of glibenclamide or the fixed combination of glibenclamide-phenformin with those of gliclazide, chlorpropamide or biguanides in non-insulin-dependent diabetes. It is divided into two parts: a) in the retrospective study (473 subjects), glucose control of patients who were transferred from chlorpropamide, gliclazide, glibenclamide, glibenclamide + biguanide or metformin to the fixed combination glibenclamide-phenformin in the same tablet (2.5 mg and 25 mg, respectively) was monitored. A statistically significant decrease of blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin values was found under the combination of glibenclamide-phenformin contained in the same tablet in contrast to the values obtained with the treatment with glibenclamide, gliclazide, chlorpropamide, combination of glibenclamide and biguanides, metformin, and insulin. b) In the prospective study (57 subjects), the patients were transferred from chlorpropamide or gliclazide to glibenclamide for 3 months and then reallocated to the previous treatment for 3 additional months. It was found that under glibenclamide, glucose control was significantly better than under chlorpropamide or gliclazide. In conclusion, glibenclamide, a second generation sulfonylurea, and the fixed combination glibenclamide-phenformin in the same tablet are more effective compared to the other antidiabetic agents here studied and lead to a better control of type II diabetic patients. There was no increase in plasma lactic acid concentration in all patients studied before and after having received the fixed combination of glibenclamide-phenformin in the single tablet form.