The MARCH study (Metformin and Acarbose in Chinese as the initial Hypoglycemic treatment), a randomized, open-label, multicenter clinical trial, compared the efficacy and safety of acarbose versus metformin in drug-naïve patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus in China.13,14 We previously reported that acarbose and metformin were similarly efficacious at lowering glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and BP, as well as improving insulin sensitivity after 24 and 48 weeks of therapy in the MARCH study.13,14. This evidence concerns the gene INS and type 2 diabetes mellitus.