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The British Journal of Diabetes & Vascular Disease
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What's this?

New prolonged-release metformin improves gastrointestinal tolerability

Jaime Davidson

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas, USA

Harry Howlett

Merck Pharma UK, Harrier House, West Drayton, Middlesex, UB7 7QG, UK, hhowlett{at}merckpharma.co.uk

Current guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes recommend initiating pharmacological therapy with metformin, particularly in overweight patients, but gastrointestinal side-effects and a complex administration regimen sometimes present barriers to its use. A novel, prolonged-release metformin formulation (Glucophage® SR*), given once-daily in double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trials, was associated with fewer gastrointestinal side-effects, than immediate-release metformin. A retrospective review of 468 metformin-treated patients in the USA found better gastrointestinal tolerability with prolonged-release metformin in patients new to metformin, or switched from the immediate-release formulation. The efficacy of the two formulations was similar. The improved tolerability associated with prolonged-release metformin probably arises from the tablet design, which releases metformin into the upper intestine by diffusion from a dual hydrophilic polymer matrix (GelShield diffusion system). This provides slower, smoother and longer drug delivery, without an initial rapid rise in plasma metformin. This novel metformin formulation may simplify the delivery of metformin-based therapy.

Key Words: metformin • type 2 diabetes • oral antidiabetic therapy • prolonged-release formulation • gastrointestinal tolerability • adherence.

The British Journal of Diabetes & Vascular Disease, Vol. 4, No. 4, 273-277 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/14746514040040041101
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