Despite many advances in the development of oral hypoglycaemic agents, an ideal drug for treating Type 2 diabetes is still a distant reality. Today, physicians can choose from among a variety of medications targeting numerous facets of disease, but each drug class poses some problems. The age-old molecules such as sulfonylureas and biguanides are still considered drugs of choice because of their well-studied mode of action, safety, better tolerability and ideal pharmacodynamic effects. Until we find an ideal drug for Type 2 diabetes, there is much scope and interest for pharmaceutical companies to modify the pharmacokinetics of older molecules in order to better suit larger sections of patients. This compilation is an attempt to describe the advances in drug delivery of oral hypoglycaemic agents, particularly the extended and sustained release formulations of glipizide and metformin, both of which have great promise in treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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