Combination Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes

Bae, Hak Yeon

Abstract

Managing type 2 diabetes has become more complex as pharmacotherapy has expanded. Therapies for type 2 diabetes can be divided into drugs facilitating supply of endogenous insulin or those enhancing insulin actions. Successful treatment of type 2 diabetes combines approaches to lifestyle modification frequently in conjunction with use of pharmacologic therapy. The dual aspects of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and insulin deficiency, are important factors in therapy selection and the subsequent reponse to therapy. Most patients have gradually increasing needs for additional therapy. Some patients require combination pharmacologic therapy at the time of initial treatment, especially if they have a markedly elevated HbA1c. We describes combination pharmacologic therapy in type 2 diabetes, recent evidence and opinions on sequences for type 2 diabetes.