A comparison of the metabolic effects of flosequinan and propranolol in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The effects of steady-state flosequinan, a new peripheral vasodilator, and propranolol on glucose tolerance and plasma lipids in 22 non-insulin-dependent diabetics were investigated in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled, three-way crossover trial. Flosequinan produced no impairment of glucose tolerance compared with placebo. Propranolol produced significant increases in fasting plasma glucose (P less than 0.01) and increases in the area under the glucose tolerance curve (P less than 0.05) compared to placebo. No significant effects on cholesterol levels were seen on either treatment but triglyceride levels were significantly elevated on propranolol compared with placebo (P less than 0.01). These data suggest that flosequinan, used in therapeutic dosage, has no adverse metabolic effects on the non-insulin-dependent diabetic and this may be an advantage for a drug used in the treatment of hypertension or congestive heart failure.