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The Diabetes Educator, Vol. 34, No. 3,
518-534 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0145721708317870
More Choices Than Ever BeforeEmerging Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes
R. Keith Campbell, BPharm, MBA, RPH, CDE and
John R. White, Jr, PA, PharmD
From the Washington State University College of Pharmacy, Pullman,
Washington.
Correspondence to R. Keith Campbell, BPharm, MBA, RPH, CDE, Washington State
University College of Pharmacy, PO Box 646510, Pullman, WA 99164
(rkcamp{at}wsu.edu).
The goal of antidiabetes therapy is to reduce glycosylated hemoglobin
(HbA1c) levels to prevent or minimize the microvascular
complications associated with this disease, such as retinopathy, nephropathy,
and neuropathy. Glycemic control, defined by the American Diabetes Association
(ADA) as HbA1c < 7.0%, is often difficult to achieve despite
current treatments, including oral antidiabetes agents, such as biguanides
(metformin), sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, dipeptidyl peptidase-IV
(DPP-IV) inhibitors, meglitinides, and -glucosidase inhibitors, as well
as injectable agents, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues and
insulin. In addition, antidiabetes treatments often become less effective over
time as insulin resistance increases and pancreatic β-cell function
deteriorates. The latest ADA guidelines also recommend a range of
interventions to control the multiple coexisting conditions associated with
this chronic, progressive disease, including dyslipidemia and hypertension.
This review highlights the new antidiabetes drug classes, which include
incretin mimetics, cannabinoid receptor type 1 antagonists, and bile acid
sequestrants, and compares these agents to established treatments with regard
to efficacy and tolerability. The more recently developed antidiabetes drugs
have been shown in clinical trials to produce glucose-lowering effects similar
to those of established antidiabetes agents. Many of the new antidiabetes
agents can be safely combined with established therapies to further improve
glycemic control. In addition, the new agents may provide additional
significant cardiometabolic benefits, including improving the lipid profile,
lowering blood pressure, and reducing body weight. These new treatments may
have the potential to greatly improve the management of type 2 diabetes.

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