The Singapore Family Physician

Back to issue Vol 45 No. 1 - Diabetes Mellitus Update

Oral Glucose-Lowering Agents for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Goh Su-Yen
The Singapore Family Physician Vol 45 No 1 - Diabetes Mellitus Update
6 - 11
1 January 2019
0377-5305
Family physicians manage the majority of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Singapore. Hence, they should be familiar with the profile of the many available oral glucose-lowering agents. These drugs vary in their mechanisms of action, glucose-lowering efficacy, safety profiles and treatment costs between classes – even within classes in some cases. These factors should be carefully considered for a patient-centred approach to selecting oral glucose-lowering therapy. This review aims to describe the characteristics of various oral glucose-lowering agents available to family physicians in the management of T2DM and the impact of these characteristics on the patient-centric approach to treatment decision-making.