[During the past years several new oral antidiabetic agents have become available and more new drugs of this type are expected to appear on the market. New products appeared in both groups of insulin sensitizers and insulin secretagogues. Modern insulin secretagogues are characterized by immediate and short action. As a consequence, insulin secretion will approach the physiological secretory pattern. The rapid, short-term insulin output prevents the abnormal increase of postprandial glucose level and - at the same time - the danger of late hypoglycemia will decrease. The combination of insulin sensitizers with the new insulin secretagogues provides the possibility to apply the basisbolus therapeutical principle to type 2 diabetic patients treated with oral agents.]