[Antidiabetic efficacy of benfluorex. Clinical data]

We compared the effect of 3 months of treatment by either benfluorex (B) or metformin (M) on hyperinsulinism and high blood glucose levels in overweight patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). All patients had previously complied with a low-calorie diet that had resulted in loss of more than 1.5 kg in one month, but had failed to ensure metabolic control. Weight changes under treatment were identical in both groups (B and M). Both treatments had a comparable effect on blood glucose levels, and this effect was more marked following an oral glucose load. However, a decrease in serum insulin levels and in the fasting serum insulin/fasting serum glucose ratio was seen with benfluorex only. The differences between the two treatment groups were especially marked among the subgroup of patients who responded poorly to the trial diet (fasting I/fasting G: + 1.82 under M., -3.37 under B, P interaction = 0.029). Clinical tolerance was comparable for both drugs. However, a significant rise in serum lactic acid was seen with metformin. The effect of benfluorex on hyperinsulinism in overweight patients with glucose intolerance or mildly increased fasting blood glucose levels is valuable in these high vascular risk patients. The results of this study open the way to a new approach to the treatment of diabetes which should be confirmed by a longer term study currently underway. However, already, these results encourage the evaluation of the benefit provided by benfluorex in combination with classical hypoglycemic drugs.