Oral hypoglycemic agents.

This article reviews the history of oral hypoglycemic agents in the treatment of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. It chronicles the rise and fall of the use of these agents as the major treatment modality for NIDDM, from their initial success in the late 1950's, to their being abandoned after the controversial findings of the University Group Diabetes Program, to their eventual resurgence as important agents in the management of hyperglycemia in NIDDM patients.