A comparison of the effects of tolazamide and tolbutamide upon blood glucose and serum insulin and lipid levels in diabetic subjects.

The effects of tolazamide (300 mg. daily), a new oral hypoglycemic sulfonylurea, and tolbutamide on the blood glucose, serum insulin, cholesterol and triglyceride levels were compared in 14 subjects with maturity-onset diabetes of varying severity. The mean effects of the two drugs in the pharmacologically equivalent doses were the same. In particular, the mean reduction of the blood glucose level was 19% and of the serum triglyceride level was 17% with both agents. However, an individual subject might respond to one agent and not to the other; neither the blood glucose nor the serum lipid response could be predicted from the pretreatment blood glucose level or the per cent of ideal body weight.