From Glucose Control to Multifaceted Benefits: The Rise of Modern Sulphonylureas in Diabetes Care.

Purpose of review: This review aims to highlight the evolution and multifaceted benefits of modern sulfonylureas (SUs) in managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). It discusses their enhanced glycemic control, pleiotropic advantages, usage with other antidiabetic agents, safety, and tolerability, supporting their persistent relevance and effectiveness in diabetes care.

Recent findings: Recent findings indicate that modern SUs, like glimepiride, offer significant cardioprotective and renoprotective benefits along with their primary role in glycemic control. Additionally, they have also shown their anti-inflammatory effects, lipid-lowering properties, testosterone-enhancing effects, and neuroprotective effects in recent years. These findings support the broader therapeutic advantages of modern SUs beyond glucose lowering. Hence, many guidelines now recommend modern SUs as an add-on therapy to metformin. Modern sulfonylureas remain a vital component in T2DM management strategy due to their efficacy, safety profile, and cost-effectiveness. Their pleiotropic benefits, like cardiovascular, renal, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective effects, etc., make them a comprehensive therapeutic option. Considering their efficacy and safety profile, SUs are expected to remain vital components of antidiabetic therapy, providing valuable benefits in managing T2DM in the long run.