The withdrawal of the biguanides from the US. market in 1977 has left only one class of oral hypoglycemic agent, the sulfonylureas, for the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in this country.'Despite an improvement of 250-fold in potency over the last 33 years (eg glibenclamide), the sulfonylureas are still afflicted with the serious and sometimes fatal problem of drug-induced hypoglycemia, 2 apparently the result of ...