- The study of galegine and related molecules in the first half of the 20th century is regarded as an important milestone in the development of oral antidiabetic pharmacotherapy.
- Georges Tanret identified an alkaloid ( galegine ) from " Galega officinalis " that was evaluated in clinical trials in patients with diabetes in the 1920s and 1930s.
- French diabetologist Jean Sterne studied the antihyperglycemic properties of galegine, an alkaloid isolated from " Galega officinalis ", which is related in structure to metformin and had seen brief use as an antidiabetic before the synthalins were developed.