Pharmacotherapy for patients with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex, chronic illness requiring continuous medical care with multifactorial riskreduction strategies besides glycemic control. The pathophysiology of type 2 DM is characterized by a combination of insulin resistance in peripheral organs, including the liver, adipose tissues, and muscle, and inadequate insulin secretion from the pancreatic β-cells to compensate for insulin resistance, which eventually leads to β-cell failure. DM is accompanied by micro- and macro-vascular complications, including cardiovascular events and renal complications, resulting in high mortality rates. After insulin was first discovered in 1922, many antidiabetic agents including metformin, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and α-glucosidase inhibitors have been developed. Among them, metformin is the preferred pharmacologic agent for the initial treatment of DM. Recently, novel antidiabetic agents, such as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, were introduced and are currently available for clinical practice. Studies with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors showed non-inferiority compared with placebo, in terms of cardiovascular safety. Some glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (liraglutide, semaglutide, albiglutide, and dulaglutide) showed favorable results in both cardiovascular and renal outcomes. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (empagliflozin, canagliflozin, and dapagliflozin) also showed beneficial effects on cardiovascular and renal outcomes. It is important for clinicians to study novel DM medications and prescribe them accordingly to improve patients’ clinical outcomes.