Why carry out this study?

Sulfonylureas are consistently the most common choice for second-line therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who require additional glucose-lowering during metformin monotherapy.

In this article we describe presentations given at a symposium held at the International Diabetes Federation Congress in Busan, South Korea (December 2019) that examined the place of sulfonylureas generally, and gliclazide modified release (MR) specifically, in the current treatment paradigm for people with T2DM.

What was learned from the study?

Newer generation sulfonylureas, such as gliclazide MR, are effective, well-tolerated and accessible treatments for T2DM, and recommended in the early management of people with T2DM.

Among the available sulfonylureas, gliclazide is associated with the greatest beneficial impact on cardiovascular mortality, and the lowest incidence of severe hypoglycaemia.