Metformin cuts cardio events in high-risk type 2 diabetes

Jie Hong, M.D., from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a multicenter trial in which 304 patients with type 2 diabetes with coronary artery disease (mean age, 63.3 years) were randomized to receive glipizide (30 mg daily) or metformin (1.5 g daily) for three years. The composite end point was times to recurrent cardiovascular events, including death from a cardiovascular cause, death from any cause, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or arterial revascularization.

The researchers found that both groups achieved a significant reduction in the level of glycated hemoglobin (7.1 percent in the glipizide group and 7.0 percent in the metformin group). Ninety-one participants developed 103 primary end points over a median follow-up of five years. The adjusted hazard ratio for the composites of cardiovascular events among the patients that received metformin versus glipizide was 0.54. There was no significant difference between the two groups for secondary end points and adverse events.

"Treatment with metformin for three years substantially reduced major cardiovascular events in a median follow-up of 5.0 years compared with glipizide," the authors write.

The glipizide and metformin were provided by the Xinyi Pharmaceutical Co.

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Journal reference: Diabetes Care

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