Current oral agents for type 2 diabetes. Many options, but which to choose when?

Increasingly, type 2 diabetes takes a toll on public health and healthcare costs in the United States. Although the remedy for this growing problem is very complex, two critical components of its control are prevention and effective therapy. Progress in diabetes prevention is likely to take decades. But fortunately, growth in our understanding of what occurs in this chronic disease has led to advances in the pharmacologic options aimed at decreasing hyperglycemia, the main clinically measurable metabolic consequence of diabetes. In this article, Drs Ahmann and Riddle provide an overview of the oral agents now available for the treatment of diabetes and discuss the clinical factors that help determine when to use which medication and what outcome to expect.