The efficacy and safety of adding either vildagliptin or glimepiride to ongoing metformin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective: To compare the effects of either vildagliptin or glimepiride on glycemic variability, oxidative stress, and endothelial parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) inadequately controlled with metformin alone.Methods: In this randomized, open-label, parallel study, 34 patients with T2DM being treated with metformin having an HbA1c of 7.0–10.0% were allocated into either the vildagliptin or glimepiride group. A mixed-meal tolerance test and 72-hour continuous glucose monitoring were conducted, and urinary 8-iso-prostaglandinF2α (PGF2α) and endothelial-dependent flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) were evaluated at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment.Results: Similar significant improvements in HbA1c level were shown in both vildagliptin (−0.8%) and glimepiride (−0.9%) groups after treatment (Ps<0.001). The mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) and the mean of daily differences (MODD) were significantly decreased by vildagliptin (P = 0.044 and P = 0.031, respectively) but not by glimepiride. Glimepiride was significantly associated with a higher incidence of hypoglycemia than vildagliptin (P = 0.005). There were no significant differences in urinary 8-iso-PGF2α or FMD between the two groups.Conclusions: Vildagliptin effectively improved glucose level with a significantly greater reduction in glycemic variability and hypoglycemia than glimepiride in patients with T2DM ongoing metformin therapy. The two drugs showed no significant differences in urinary 8-iso-PGF2α and FMD.Trial registration: NCT01404676