Oral medications may be enough for diabetics

“Generally, both patients and physicians believe that long-term use of oral diabetic medications is not possible as these drugs lose their effectiveness over time as the pancreas of the patient fails.

“Our data suggest that some patients can remain in good glucose control for years using non-insulin oral diabetic agents,” according to lead researcher Arthur Swislocki of the Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System.

In the study, the researchers analysed records of 191 veterans—188 men and three women—with type 2 diabetes who received treatment beginning in 1992 and got follow-up for 15 consecutive years. Of them, 96 began treatment solely with oral drugs.