Glipizide and metformin hydrochloride

Mechanism of action

Sulfonylurea + biguanide (fixed-dose combination)

In plain language

Combines two diabetes medicines in one tablet: glipizide, which prompts the pancreas to release more insulin, and metformin, which tells the liver to release less sugar into the blood and helps the body use insulin more effectively.

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ClinicalPlain language

How it works

Glipizide and metformin hydrochloride tablets combine glipizide, a sulfonylurea, and metformin hydrochloride, a biguanide -- two antihyperglycemic agents with complementary mechanisms. Per the FDA label, glipizide lowers blood glucose by stimulating insulin release from pancreatic beta cells, an effect dependent on functioning islet cells; the drug's long-term mechanism is less clearly established, but its stimulation of the postprandial insulin response persists even after months of treatment. Metformin acts through a separate pathway, decreasing hepatic glucose production and improving peripheral insulin sensitivity, without stimulating insulin secretion itself.

Therapeutic applications

Glipizide and metformin hydrochloride tablets are FDA-indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Because the product contains metformin, it carries a boxed warning for lactic acidosis, a rare but serious risk of metformin-containing products. The originator brand, Metaglip, is no longer marketed, but the combination remains available generically.

Class

Fixed-dose combination

Therapeutic area

Metabolic / Diabetes

Source

FDA label (DailyMed) ↗