Rosiglitazone plus metformin is effective and well tolerated in clinical practice: results from large observational studies in people with type 2 diabetes

This study investigated the efficacy during daily practice of rosiglitazone (RSG) added to metformin (MET) in poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two post-marketing observational studies were conducted in Germany over 6 months. RSG (4 mg/day titrated to 8 mg/day as required) was added to existing MET in 11,014 subjects. Subjects were maintained on diet and exercise. Addition of RSG to MET significantly reduced median HbA 1c by 1.3% (8.1 vs. 6.8%; p < 0.0001) and median fasting blood glucose (FBG) by 47.0 mg/dl (171.0 vs. 124.0 mg/dl; p < 0.0001) after 6 months. The proportion of subjects achieving HbA(1c) targets of < or = 6.5 and < or = 7.0% increased from 3.5 to 38.8% and from 13.5 to 63.7%, respectively. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 7 and 3 mmHg, respectively (p < 0.0001). Mean weight decreased by 1.7 kg and was constant or reduced in most (74.1%) subjects. Addition of RSG to MET significantly reduces median HbA 1c and FBG in clinical practice and is generally well tolerated.