Many people with type 2 diabetes cannot maintain target blood glucose levels when taking a single oral drug. This is a 28-week extension to a study to assess the safety and effectiveness of vildagliptin, an unapproved drug, in lowering overall blood glucose levels when added to glimepiride in people with type 2 diabetes not at target blood glucose levels on a sulfonylurea alone. The purpose of the extension study is to gather data on the long-term safety and effectiveness of vildagliptin in people with type 2 diabetes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Only patients successfully completing study CLAF237A2305 are eligible
• Written informed consent
• Ability to comply with all study requirements

Exclusion Criteria:

• Premature discontinuation from study CLAF237A2305
• Other protocol-defined exclusion criteria may apply