The uncontrolled rise in blood glucose after meals may contribute to serious long-term damage to vital organs, said Lawrence S. Phillips, MD, nateglinide clinical investigator and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Emory University School of Medicine. 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. Data show that patients spend a significant part of their day in the postprandial state. According to Ginger Kanzer-Lewis, RNC, EdM, CDE, president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, It is important for people with type 2 diabetes and their healthcare providers to understand the significance of high blood sugar and the need to control it.
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. Notably, within this study, Starlix demonstrated reductions in HbA1c comparable to metformin in a subgroup of 197 treatment-na ve patients.