Oral hypoglycemic drugs: An overview

The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of oral hypoglycemic agents in obese Type-2 diabetic patients. The objectives are to compare fasting and postprandial blood sugar (PPBS) levels, to compare body mass index in all the groups and to identify glycosylated hemoglobin levels and adverse drug reaction in all the groups. Diabetes mellitus is one of the world’s major diseases. It currently affects an estimated143 million people worldwide and the number is growing rapidly. In the India, about 1-5% population suffer from diabetes or related complication. So there is need to cure this disease. Anti-diabetic drugs treat diabetes mellitus by lowering glucose levels in the blood. With the exceptions of insulin, exenatide, and pramlintide, all are administered orally and are thus also called oral hypoglycemic agents or oral anti hyperglycemic agents. There are different classes of anti-diabetic drugs, and their selection depends on the nature of the diabetes, age and situation of the person, as well as other factors. Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a disease caused by the lack of insulin. Insulin must be used in Type 1, which must be injected or inhaled. Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a disease of insulin resistance by cells. Treatments include agents which increase the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas, agents which increase the sensitivity of target organs to insulin , and agents which decrease the rate at which glucose is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Keywords: hypoglycemic, blood suger, insulin, diabetes mellitus, pancrea