Drug therapy in diabetes management

The primary goal in diabetes management is to maintain blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. Pharmacology is one intervention used to achieve this goal. Medications are used in type 2 diabetes when meal planning and exercise can no longer achieve target glycemic goals. New oral antidiabetic medications and a new insulin analog have increased the number of choices available to practitioners for pharmacological interventions. Understanding the relationship between the pathophysiology of diabetes and the medications' mechanism of action can help practitioners make appropriate therapeutic choices.