Selection of Pharmacological Treatments for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The Korean Diabetes Association published the 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diabetes, which reflected recent clinical research on diabetes medications. The emergence of new medications effective in preventing and delaying cardiorenal complications has led to changes in the existing treatment paradigm. Reflecting this reality, in April 2023, the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service exceptionally allowed triple therapy including sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. However, a gap still exists between revised medication recommendations and insurance coverage standards. Therefore, it is important for primary care providers to understand both the updated recommendations and insurance coverage criteria in order to effectively counsel their diabetic patients. Given this background, this article aims to summarize the key medication treatment recommendations from the 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diabetes and the relevant insurance reimbursement criteria from a primary care perspective.