FPIN's clinical inquiries. Glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

A systematic review of 63 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) compared A1C reductions among the five classes of oral agents.1 The studies met the following criteria: study period of at least three months, enrollment of at least 10 subjects, and reported A1C reduction. Two groups of trials-monotherapy head-to-head studies (23 trials) and monotherapy versus placebo studies (31 trials)-were compared. A1C reductions were similar among studies with comparable numbers of subjects and lengths of follow-up (Table 11). Head-to-head trials comparing two or more drugs also showed similar effectiveness for reducing A1C.1