Intervention(s) and comparator(s)	Sex (female %)	Age (mean years (SD); (range))	HbA1c (mean % (SD); (range))	Comedications/Cointerventions (%)	Comorbidities (%)
Avilés 1999	I: metformin	71	53.1 (9.4); (35‐69)	9 (1.4); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	55	54.6 (7.8); (36‐70)	9.1 (1.5); ‐
Barnett 2013	I: saxagliptin	60	58.7 (10.0); (29‐77)	8.7 (0.9); (7‐11)	‐	‐
	C: placebo	59	57.8 (10.9); (30‐75)	8.7 (0.8); (7‐11)
Casner 1988	I: glibenclamide	65	55.8 (0.1); ‐	10.9 (0.5 SE); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	79	60.0 (0.1); ‐	11.4 (0.4 SE); ‐
Chiasson 1994	I: acarbose	‐	‐	‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	‐	‐	‐
	all:	39	56.6 (0.9); ‐	7.7 (0.2 SE); ‐
Coniff 1995	I: acarbose	‐	‐	6.4 (0.1 SE); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	‐	‐	6.6 (0.1 SE); ‐
Feinglos 1998	I: glipizide	‐	‐	‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	‐	‐	‐
	all:	59	56 (39 ‐ 68); (39‐68)	12.1 (5.4‐21.2);
Fonseca 2007	I: vildagliptin	52	59.6 (10.3); ‐	8.4 (1.0); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	45	58.9 (10.8); ‐	8.4 (1.1); ‐
Fritsche 2000	I: metformin			8.5 (0.4 SE); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo			8.1 (0.4 SE); ‐
	all:	69	51 (9); ‐
Giugliano 1993	I: metformin			11.5 (1.2); ‐	Antihypertensive drugs (ACE‐inhibitor or calcium antagonist): 5	‐
	C: placebo			11.7 (1.3); ‐	Antihypertensive drugs (ACE‐inhibitor or calcium antagonist): 4
	all:	62	60 (2); ‐
Groop 1985	I: glibenclamide			‐	Antihypertensive drugs (n = 4)	Background retinopathy and signs of sensory neuropathy (n = 5)
	C: placebo
	all:	46	56 (1); (49‐61)		31	38
Hermann 2001	I: metformin	56	56.9 (10.2); ‐	9.1 (1.3); ‐	‐	Hypertension (n = 10) 27 Ischaemic heart disease (n = 7) 19 diabetic nephropathy (n = 1) 3
	C: placebo	37	58.1 (9.7); ‐	8.7 (1.0); ‐
Hirsch 1999	I: metformin	‐	‐	8.6 (0.2 SE); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	‐	‐	9.0 (0.4 SE); ‐
Hong 2012	I: sitagliptin	53.7	58.8 (14.3); ‐	9.2 (1.0); ‐	Sulphonylurea: 24.6 Glinides (short‐acting insulin secretagogues): 13.1 Metformin: 45.9 Thiazolidinedione: 6.6 Alpha‐glucosidase inhibitor: 31.1 Glargine only: 47.5 Glargine plus rapid acting insulin: 23 NPH plus regular insulin: 29.5	Retinopathy: 16.4 Neuropathy: 21.3
	C: insulin increase	50.9	59.6 (13.0); ‐	9.2 (1.1); ‐	Sulphonylurea: 23.8 Glinides (short acting insulin secretagogues): 15.9 Metformin: 41.3 Thiazolidinedione: 3.2 Alpha‐glucosidase inhibitor: 42.9 Glargine only: 49.2 Glargine plus rapid‐acting insulin: 17.5 NPH plus regular insulin: 33.3	Retinopathy: 14.3 Neuropathy: 23.8
Kitabchi 1987	I: tolazamide	‐	‐	‐	‐	‐
	C: insulin alone	‐	‐	‐
	all:	100	51 (3); (34‐66)	10.7 (0.7 SE); (8.7‐15.5)
Krawczyk 2005	I: metformin	60	55.8 (8.1); ‐	8.6 (1.9); ‐	‐	‐
	C: insulin alone	40	58.4 (6.0); ‐	8.4 (1.6); ‐
Kyllastinen 1985	I: glibenclamide			13.8 (0.6 SE); ‐	Dose kept constant throughout trial	Heart failure: 89 Hypertension: 44 Hypothyroidism: 11 Psychiatric illness: 11 Chronic obstipation: 33 Retinopathy: 22 Elevated creatinine: 33
	C: placebo			13.5 (0.8 SE); ‐	‐	‐
	all:	78	73 (2); (66‐80)
Lewitt 1989	I: glibenclamide				‐	‐
	C: placebo
	all:	15	67 (5); (59‐78)	9.9 (1.3); (7.3‐13.3)
Lindström 1999	I: glibenclamide			‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo			‐
	all:	33	59 (2); (48‐71)	‐
Longnecker 1986	I: tolazamide	92	62 (2.4); (48‐76)		‐	‐
	C: placebo	100	54 (2.9); (43‐65)
	all:			12.7 (0.8); (9‐16.3)
Mattoo 2005	I: pioglitazone	56	58.8 (7.4); ‐	8.9 (0.1 SE); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	57	58.9 (6.9); ‐	8.8 (0.1 SE); ‐
Mauerhoff 1986	I: glibenclamide	63	62 (2); ‐	‐; ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	27	59 (4); ‐	‐; ‐
Mezitis 1992	I: glibenclamide	‐	‐; 46‐68	8.7; (4.4‐8.2)	‐	‐
	C: placebo	‐	‐; 46‐68	8.6; (4.4‐8.2)
Mudaliar 2010	I: pioglitazone			7.6 (0.3); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo			7.8 (0.3); ‐
	all:	19	58 (2); ‐	‐; 7.5‐10
Nemoto 2011	I: miglitol				‐	‐
	C: placebo
	all:	42	59.9 (10.7); ‐	7.9 (1); ‐
Osei 1984	I: glibenclamide	60	58.6 (2.7); ‐	10.9 (0.6 SE); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	83	56.3 (1.2); ‐	10.4 (0.4 SE); ‐
Quartraro 1986	I: gliclazide	‐	56 (1.9 SE); (39‐70)	12.0 (0.6)	‐	‐
	C: insulin alone		57 (1.9 SE); (39‐70)	11.8 (0.4)
Reich 1987	I: glibenclamide	0	58.7 (2.8); (39‐69)	8.9 (0.7 SE); (7.2‐13.4)	‐	‐
	C: placebo	0	56.8 (3.7); (29‐69)	10.0 (1.0 SE); (6.7‐12.8)
Relimpio 1998	I: metformin	79	65.4 (7.9); ‐	9.6 (1.4); ‐	ACE inhibitors: 42 Thiazides: 8 Fibric acid: 8 HMG‐CoA inhibitors: 4	‐
	C: insulin dose increase	65	66.7 (6.2); ‐	9.6 (1.2); ‐	ACE inhibitors: 30 Thiazides: 17 Fibric acid: 17 HMG‐CoA inhibitors: 22	‐
Robinson 1998	I: metformin	Study 1: 63	Study 1: 61.3 (7.1); ‐	Study 1: 8.9 (1.0 SE); ‐	‐	Trial 1: Retinopathy (n = 9) 47 Neuropathy (n = 6) 32 Proteinuria (n = 1)
	C: placebo					‐
Rosenstock 2002	I1: pioglitazone 15 mg	54	56.9 (10.4); (29‐75)	9.8 (0.1 SE); ‐	Oral anti‐diabetic medication before study: total 12 evenly distributed among the treatment arms (metformin: 8, glibenclamide: 2, glipizide: 2) Lipid‐lowering drugs: 28	‐
	I2: pioglitazone 30 mg	50	57.5 (9.9); (29‐75)	9.8 (0.1 SE); ‐	Lipid‐lowering drugs: 22	‐
	C1: placebo	55	56.8 (3.7); (29‐75)	9.8 (0.1 SE); ‐	Lipid‐lowering drugs: 21	‐
Schade 1987	I: glibenclamide				‐	‐
	C: placebo
	all:	56	51 (3); (35‐66)	10.6 (0.4); ‐
Schiel 2007	I1: glimepiride	53	61.7 (10.7); ‐	8.2 (0.7); ‐	‐	‐
	I2: glimepiride + metformin	44	65.4 (8.5); ‐	8.1 (0.9); ‐
	C1: insulin alone	47	69.8 (6.4); ‐	8.1 (0.8); ‐
Simpson 1990	I: glipizide		65 (‐); (53 ‐ 75)	10.6 (‐); (10‐16.4)	‐	‐
	C: placebo		62 (‐); (50 ‐ 78)	12.0 (‐); (7.6‐4.9)
	all:	32
Stenman 1988	I: glibenclamide				‐	‐
	C: placebo					‐
	all:	13	58 (6.6); (45‐68)	9.2 (0.2); (9.9‐15.8)		Coronary heart disease (n = 1) 7 Hypertension (n = 3) 20
Strowig 2002	I1: metformin	44	51.8 (10.5); ‐	8.8 (1.2); ‐	Lipid‐lowering drugs: 30	‐
	I2: troglitazone	57	51.7 (8.0); ‐	8.5 (1.2); ‐	Lipid‐lowering drugs: 43
	C1: insulin alone	52	54.4 (9.1); ‐	8.7 (1.6); ‐	Lipid‐lowering drugs: 26
Wulffelé 2002	I: metformin	56	63.2 (9.8); ‐	7.9 (1.2); ‐	‐	‐
	C: placebo	50	58.9 (11.1); ‐	7.9 (1.2); ‐
Yilmaz 2007	I1: acarbose	53	62.6 (6.6); (34‐80)	‐	‐	‐
	I2: metformin	66	57.7 (8.5); (34‐80)	‐
	I3: rosiglitazone	88	57.6 (8.8); (34‐80)	‐
	C1: insulin alone	63	61.5 (12.0); (34‐80)	‐
‐ denotes not reported C: comparator; HbA1c: glycosylated haemoglobin A1c; I: intervention; NPH: Neutral Protamine Hagedorn; SD: standard deviation; SE: standard error