[Recent oral antidiabetic therapy]

Abstract

The improvement of the diabetic equilibrium decreases the microvascular complications. Unfortunately, the HbA1c has tendency to increase with time and too few type 2 diabetic patients are well equilibrated with HbA1c under 7%. We have now new medicaments to improve this. The thiazolidinediones are agonists of the PPARgamma and ameliorate the insulin resistance with decrease of the HbA1c. Pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) are the two thiazolidinediones in Belgium. To be reimbursed, these medicaments have to be prescribed with sulfonylureas or metformin. The glinides are secretagogues drugs acting on the post-prandial glycaemia, but they improve the three parameters of diabetic equilibrium: fasting glycaemia, postprandial glycaemia and HbA1c. There is only one in Belgium: repaglinide (Novonorm). We can also improve the treatment by increasing the compliance. Therefore we can prescribe treatment with once daily dosage so as glimepiride (Amarylle) or gliclazide MR (Unidiamicron). Finally there are 'fixed combinations of two molecules so as glibenclamide + metformin (Glucovance) or rosiglitazone + metformin (Avandamet).