Pharmaceutical combinations

Pharmaceutical combinations for treatment and/or prevention of all sorts, periods and complications of diabetes mellitus in mammals, thus including the pre-diabetic diseases and their complications, optionally including furthermore ischaemic heart disease comprising an effective dose of at least one enzymatic nitric oxide (NO) donor active ingredient and optionally comprising an effective dose of at least one antidiabetic active ingredient, and further optionally comprising usual pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and/or other auxiliaries. The combination may consist of more than one pharmaceutical compositions. The effective doses related to the new insulin-sensitizing effect are considerably lower than the usual doses related to the know effect of most active substances dues to metabolic effects that influence insulin sensitivity in healthy and insulin resistant mammals. The usual dose of NO-donors is necessary when the patient has also ischaemic heart disease. Preferred antidiabetics include insulin, a thiazolidinedion, a biguanide derivative, an alpha-glucosidase-inhibitor, and alpha2-adrenergic-antagonist and/or a sulphonamide, preferably a sulphonylurea. Preferred enzymatic NO donors are nitroglycerin, racemic isosorbide monoitrate, and/or its stereoisomers, racemic isosorbide dinitrate and/or its stereoisomers, erythityl tetranitrate, pentaerythritol-tetranitrate, methylpropyl-propanediol-dinitrate, propatyl nitrate, trolnitrate, tenitramine and/or nicorandile. The invention includes methods of treatment and processes to prepare the compositions.