Efficacy of acarbose and metformin in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients stratified by HbA1c levels

Background The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the therapeutic efficacy of acarbose and metformin is correlated with baseline HbA1c levels in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods Data for 711 subjects were retrieved from the MARCH (Metformin and AcaRbose in Chinese as initial Hypoglycemic treatment) trial database and reviewed retrospectively. Patients were grouped according to baseline HbA1c levels (8%) and the results for these three groups were compared between acarbose and metformin treatments. Results Acarbose and metformin treatment significantly improved T2DM‐associated parameters (weight, fasting plasma glucose [FPG], postprandial glucose [PPG], glucagon‐like peptide‐1 [GLP‐1], HOMA‐IR, and total cholesterol) across all HbA1c levels. Acarbose decreased PPG and HOMA‐β significantly more than metformin, but only in subjects with lower baseline HbA1c (PPG in the