Søren S Lund, Lise Tarnow, Merete Frandsen, Bente B Nielsen, Birgitte V Hansen, Oluf Pedersen et al
Lund S S, Tarnow L, Frandsen M, Nielsen B B, Hansen B V, Pedersen O et al.
Combining insulin with metformin or an insulin secretagogue in non-obese patients with type 2 diabetes: 12 month, randomised, double blind trial
BMJ 2009; 339 :b4324
doi:10.1136/bmj.b4324
Re: Is repaglinide really suitable for combination therapy with insulin?
We welcome the discussion raised by Dr. Malinverni. We believe that
achieving good glycaemic control is not a natural consequence of aiming
for it. Factors, such as hypoglycaemia might prevent achieving good
glycaemic control also when it has been aimed for. Hence, aiming for and
achieving good glycaemic control as in our study supports the conclusion
that treatments, including insulin and repaglinide, can be used
succesfully. We agree with Dr. Malinverni that other factors such as beta-
cell failure, weight-gain or dosage schedules could be of clinical
importance. We believe that hard endpoint studies will be needed to
address these issues appropriately.
Competing interests:
SSL and AAV have reported equity in Novo Nordisk A/S. AAV have received funds from Novo Nordisk A/S for research. SSL and AAV have received fees from Novo Nordisk A/S for speaking and AAV has received fees from Novo Nordisk A/S for organising education. SSL and AAV are employees at Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, Denmark. Steno Diabetes Center is an independent academic institution owned by Novo Nordisk A/S and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Competing interests: No competing interests