Rosiglitazone Maleate and Glimepiride in Fixed Combination for the Metabolic Control of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a constantly progressing disease and monotherapy may last for approximately 5–10 years before a further increase in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) indicates the requirement of a combination therapy. We conducted a review focusing our attention on the effects of a combination of rosiglitazone plus glimepiride on metabolic control. We performed a defined search string in PubMed and Embase for relevant clinical trials, literature reviews and selected clinical trials about the use of rosiglitazone and glimepiride published in the last ten years. We observed that the combination of rosiglitazone plus glimepiride gives an improvement of glycemic control, even if a little weight is gained. Furthermore the association of rosiglitazone and glimepiride gives also an improvement of fasting plasma insulin. However, even if this combination proved to be effective, it is not an option available anymore, due to the recent withdrawn of rosiglitazone. Other possibilities should be considered, for example, substitute rosiglitazone with pioglitazone that proved to be safe on cardiovascular risk.