Dear ALL Doctors:
My question is about individualization of diabetes care and prevention by targeting the specific organs that cause hyperglycemia. Are there drugs that target the liver (to reduce glucose production) or target muscle (to stimulate glucose uptake)? Metformin is known to do the former and glitazones do the latter, but these are debated in the literature and among doctors. Drugs specifically targeting beta-cells have been in use for many years now (insulin, sulfourea, GLP-1, DPP4-inhibitors). We also need drugs specifically for the liver and muscle.
Question: what is the consensus in the diabetes care community as to whether there are liver- or muscle-specific drugs currently available or being developed? Targeting specific organs will enable each patient to be treated differently depending on his/her problem organs (e.g. predominantly liver or muscle problems). This approach can also be used to prevent pre-diabetes from becoming diabetes.