DIABETES-MELLITUS THERAPY - EVALUATING THE ROLE OF THE NEWER ANTIDIABETIC AGENTS

Since 1995, several antidiabetic agents have been approved for treatin g diabetes mellitus (DM), mostly type 2 DM: acarbose, glimepride, insu lin lispro (types 1 and 2 DM), metformin, miglitol, repaglinide, and t roglitazone. The agents provide varying degrees of efficacy for contro lling levels of hemoglobin Al, and fasting and postprandial blood gluc ose. Side effect profiles differ, especially concerning hypoglycemia, weight gain, and gastrointestinal disturbances. These agents provide t herapeutic options both as monotherapy and as combination therapy, whi ch can prevent the need for insulin in many diabetic patients and enab le some patients currently on insulin to return to oral agents. As a r esult of these expanded options, more patients with diabetes are able to achieve tight glucose control, which should reduce the complication s associated with this disease.