Early insulin secretion by the pancreas is compromised in patients with type 2 diabetes. Starlix works by stimulating rapid, short-acting insulin secretion. Nateglinide has been demonstrated to blunt mealtime rise in glucose while improving overall glucose control. Thus, the development of nateglinide addresses an evolving and often unmet treatment challenge for patients with type 2 diabetes and their physicians. Postprandial hyperglycemia, or elevated mealtime glucose, is common in people with type 2 diabetes, yet often goes undetected.
Data show that patients spend a significant part of their day in the postprandial state.
Aggressive treatment is needed earlier in the progression of the disease to achieve glucose control. Numerous studies have shown that this glucose control can help prevent serious complications of the disease like kidney failure, amputations and blindness, and this control may also be associated with lowering the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Its approval as monotherapy or in combination with metformin was based on data from clinical trials involving more than 3,100 patients with type 2 diabetes. The study reported that Starlix effectively controlled mealtime glucose spikes and reduced overall glucose levels as measured by HbA1c. Researchers concluded that the combination of Starlix and metformin was complementary and resulted in even greater reductions in HbA1c than either agent alone.