Sulfonylurea

The same chemical mechanism sulfonylurea uses in humans is also employed as an agricultural herbicide, raising long-term safety questions. Sulfonylurea drugs stimulate pancreatic beta cells to produce and release more insulin. Sulfonylurea carries a black-box warning for elevated risk of fatal cardiovascular disease, which is especially concerning given that Type 2 diabetics already have elevated cardiovascular risk. Sulfonylurea is ineffective for Type 1 diabetes because it requires residual beta cell function to work.