Novel hypoglycaemic agents: considerations in patients with chronic kidney disease.

One of the commonest complications of type 2 diabetes is renal disease. Treatment guidelines emphasise the need for tight glycaemic control to reduce the development of future complications; however, with the development of renal impairment, the benefit of tight glycaemic control must be weighed against the potential for adverse effects from drugs or their metabolites which may accumulate. In this article, the glucose-lowering drugs used in the management of type 2 diabetes are reviewed, with particular emphasis on newer guidelines and agents.