[Medication of the month. Glucovance in type 2 diabetes, a fixed combination of metformin-glibenclamide for the treatment of a bipolar metabolic disease]

Author(s): Scheen AJ

Affiliation(s): Universite de Liege, Service de Diabetologie, Nutrition et Maladies metaboliques, Service de Medecine interne generale, Departement de Medecine, CHU Sart Tilman.

Publication date & source: 2003-06, Rev Med Liege., 58(6):448-52.

Publication type: Review

Glucovance, recently launched by Merck-Lipha (Glucovance 500 mg/2.5 mg and Glucovance 500 mg/5 mg), is a fixed combined therapy of a sulphonylurea (glibenclamide 2.5 or 5 mg) and a biguanide (metformin 500 mg), indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adult patients. The only current official indication in Belgium is the substitution of a dual therapy with metformin and glibenclamide in patients with a stable and adequate metabolic control. The fixed combination aims at simplifying patient's treatment in order to improve compliance despite polymedication. In addition, it allows targeting synergistically the two main abnormalities of type 2 diabetes, i.e. the insulin secretory defect and the insulin resistance.