Diabetes-Old Therapies Revisited

Abstract

Today, there are many therapeutic options for the treatment of type 2 Diabetes, which means that therapeutic decision making has become increasingly challenging and complex. With the recent introduction in clinical practice of new classes, with different mechanisms of action, what is the role of the older drugs? This article reviews these drugs, with recently published data update. Today, recommendations are not based on a simple algoritm, but in a patient centered approach. Besides the phenotypic heterogeneity of patients with type 2 diabetes, there is also a great diversity in response to treatment. This concept of personalized medicine has changed in recent years. The new era of personalized medicine evolves in order to identify molecular and clinical signs that can predict therapeutic response, reducing uncertainty in decision making. The "old" drugs may resurface, with more precise indications, in selected groups of patients.