[Triple oral therapy in type 2 diabetes].

Type 2 diabetes has a complex pathophysiology, combining a defect of insulin secretion by the pancreas, an increased glucose production by the liver and a reduced insulin-mediated glucose uptake by the skeletal muscle. Each of these abnormalities can be partially reversed by a specific drug, an agent promoting insulin secretion (sulphonylurea or glinide), metformin and a thiazolidinedione (glitazone), respectively. Therefore, a triple oral therapy, targeting simultaneously the three main metabolic abnormalities of type 2 diabetes, deserves special attention. Recent clinical trials have shown both the efficacy and safety of this triple oral therapy. However, its precise place remains to be better specified in the overall management of type 2 diabetes.