effect of chloroquine on blood glucose levels in patients with non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

77irty six patients with non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, whose blood sugar was not controlled with maximal doses of oral hypoglycemic agents and did not accept insulin treatment, were selected for this study. the patients were randomly divided into two groups, the treatment group and the control group. the treatment group received oral hypoglycemic agent and chloroquine (150 mg twice daily) and the control group received oral hypoglycemic agent and placebo for a period of six months. the fasting blood sugar (fbs) and hb a1c were recorded before and after treatment. the age, sex, weight and duration of disease were similar in both groups (p>0.05). the blood sugar level, was significantly lower after 3-6 months of chloroquine therapy (p < 0.001). serious drug reactions were not noticed, except for gastrointestinal upset in three patients and hypoglycemia in another two cases. in conclusion we believe that the combination of chloroquine and oral hypoglycemic agents can be useful for the control of blood sugar levels in some resistant cases of non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.