Role of Bile Acid Sequestrants in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a complex diseasethat requires lifestyle modificationand often pharmacological therapy. There are a variety of effective oral anti-diabetes agents to help control type 2 diabetes, thereby providing the opportu-nity for clinicians to select specific treat-ment(s) that meet the individual needs of a patient. This is particularly important for patients with type 2 diabetes, who often have comorbidities that can compli-cate the management and limit the phar-macological options for treatment. This review discusses the rationale for using a bile acid sequestrant (BAS) for the treat-ment of type 2 diabetes, the clinical effects of the only BAS approved for both glycemic and lipid control in the U.S. (colesevelam hydrochloride), and the appropriate place in type 2 diabetes therapy for a BAS.