oral hypoglycaemic drug

views updated

oral hypoglycaemic drug (oral antidiabetic drug) (hy-poh-gly-see-mik) n. one of the group of drugs that reduce the level of glucose in the blood and are taken by mouth for the treatment of type 2 (noninsulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. They include the sulphonylurea drugs; metformin (a biguanide); acarbose (an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor); the meglitinides (e.g. repaglinide), which stimulate insulin release; and the thiazolidinediones (e.g. pioglitazone and rosiglitazone), which reduce the body's resistance to insulin.