Prandin is an oral medication for lowering blood sugar (glucose) in diabetics. It is in a class of drugs for treating diabetes type 2 called meglitinides and is chemically unlike other anti-diabetic medication. Approximately 90% of patients with diabetes have type 2 or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. (Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in adulthood, and is associated with obesity and a strong family history of diabetes.) Glucose intolerance in diabetes type II is caused by reduced insulin secretion from the pancreas after meals and resistance of the body's cells to insulin's effect which is to stimulate the cells to remove glucose from the blood. This leads to high levels of blood glucose. Like Sulfonylureas, e.g. glyburide (Diabeta; Glynase; Micronase), glipizide (Glucotrol), glimepiride (Amaryl), tolbutamide (Orinase), and tolazamide (Tolinase), prandin stimulates cells in the pancreas to produce insulin. Glyburide may be more potent than prandin at increasing insulin release in persons with low or high blood glucose levels, whereas prandin may be more potent in persons with moderate blood glucose levels. Prandin is unusual in that it has a rapid onset of action and a short duration of action. When taken just prior to meals, it promotes the release of insulin that normally occurs with meals and is responsible for preventing blood glucose levels from becoming high. It has been shown to lower hemoglobin A1c levels by 1.6-1.9%. (Hemoglobin A1c is a blood test which measures the effectiveness of a drug in controlling high blood glucose levels. The lower the hemoglobin A1c, the better the control).