Abstract
Two groups of antidiabetics were defined in the past - drugs improving insulin sensitivity on one hand and drugs influencing insulin secretion on the other. We know nowadays that the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes is more complex; DeFronzo's octet was described recently, according to which up to eight pathophysiological mechanisms take part in the development of hyperglycemia.
An ideal antidiabetic should be able to influence as many of these mechanisms as possible. Incretin analogs are the most effective from this point of view since they influence up to seven out of eight above mentioned disorders.
Other important effects of antidiabetics, such as lowering the risk of cardiovascular complications of diabetes or complex interference with an oncologic risk, are also at stake. It is not clear, however, to what extent these effects are associated with DeFronzo's octet.