New Medications For Type 2 - On The Horizon: Diabetes

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

New medications for type 2

Much recent progress has been made in expanding the number of medications available to fight type 2 diabetes. Scientists are developing new drugs to stimulate insulin secretion and decrease resistance. New drugs are being developed to manage dyslipidemia (abnormal levels of lipids), hypertension, and obesity — all hallmarks of type 2 diabetes. Large trials of medication to prevent type 2 diabetes continue as well.

While breakthroughs such as inhaled insulin suggest diabetes control will get even easier in the future, much has already been done to reduce the impact of diabetes. New medications, glucose monitors, and insulin delivery systems now make tight glucose control an easier task. A better understanding of the disease has allowed doctors to refine their approach to treatment and develop more aggressive regimens that are meant to halt the disease in its tracks.

Optimists also see many new treatments flowing from the identification of the human genome's estimated 30,000 genes. But the complexity of the possible combinations of genes involved in diabetes is hardly the stuff of overnight success. While awaiting the next breakthrough, the benefits of strictly controlling your blood glucose, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly cannot be overestimated.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007