[Primary combined oral antidiabetic therapy in type-2 diabetes mellitus]

New target values of the metabolic control and recent directions in the therapeutic strategies of type 2 diabetes mellitus are overviewed. Attention is called to the atherogenic effect of blood glucose elevations exceeding physiological level, even when only post-prandial and with short duration. The significance of early phase prandial insulin secretion in the metabolic state is underlined, and the related new therapeutic possibilities are discussed. Practical guidelines are given to the introduction of oral antidiabetic therapy, and the importance of the early, aggressive, combined treatment with a complex mechanism of action is emphasized.