New Agents for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.

Abstract

The Renaissance of glucose-lowering therapies has arrived with multiple agents that lower blood glucose and demonstrate cardiovascular and renal benefits in people with type 2 diabetes. This article summarizes these new classes of therapies, including the sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. Their cardiovascular safety profile, effects on glycemic, weight, and renal outcomes are discussed. As more options become available to treat type 2 diabetes, clinicians need to be aware of the advantages of each class of medications, beyond their glycemic lowering effects. The safety profiles are summarized in this article.