Treatment With Novel Galactomannan Derivative Reduces 2-Hour Postprandial Glucose Excursions in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Treated With Oral Medications and/or Insulin

Background: Galactomannan is an insoluble polysaccharide that has been shown to reduce postprandial excursions. We assessed the impact of a novel galactomannan derivative (PAZ320) on the magnitude of 2-hour postprandial glucose excursions in individuals with type 2 diabetes who were being treated with oral medication and/or insulin. Methods: Investigators recently reported findings from a single-center, open-label, prospective study that evaluated the efficacy of PAZ320 in 24 subjects with type 2 diabetes who were treated with oral antidiabetic agents and/or insulin. End points included adverse events and area under the curve during 3-hour postprandial glucose excursion (gAUC). Subjects consumed a test meal without PAZ320 at baseline and then ingested low-dose (8 g) and high-dose (16 g) PAZ320 with test meals at subsequent intervention visits. A post hoc analysis was conducted to determine changes in 2-hour postprandial glucose excursions. Results: Among the 20 subjects for whom data were available for all clinic visit test meals, 15 (75%) responded to low-dose, high-dose, or both medication dosages. Low-dose responders (n = 8) experienced clinically significant improvements in 2-hour postprandial glucose excursions from baseline excursions compared with nonresponders (–28.00 ± 25.97 mg/dL vs 23.42 ± 11.45 mg/dL, P = .005). Similar differences were seen in high-dose responders (–28.82 ± 24.26 vs 33.89 ± 20.56 mg/dL, P < .0001). Conclusions: PAZ320 was shown to be safe in all patients studied and effective in controlling postprandial glucose in a large portion of the study population. Additional studies are needed to determine its long-term effects on HbA1c and to further define which subpopulation(s) may respond to PAZ320 therapy.