Long term improvement in insulin response with gliclazide treatment

Blood glucose, plasma insulin and C-peptide concentrations were measured in response to a standard meal in eight Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetic patients before and after treatment with gliclazide for 33 +/- 9 months. Compared with the pre-treatment values, blood glucose levels remained significantly lower (p less than 0.00001), while plasma insulin and C-peptide concentrations remained significantly higher (p less than 0.00001 and p less than 0.001 respectively) throughout the treatment period. In contrast to previous studies, these findings demonstrate that prolonged sulphonylurea treatment produces continued enhancement of B cell secretion.