The management of type 2 diabetes is complex, due to the diverse, variable, and progressive nature of its pathogenesis, clinical complications, and societal impact (Box 13.4.2.1). Care plans need to be individualized, flexible, and realistic, with provision for patient education and empowerment to enable optimal benefit from the guidance and interventions offered by health care professionals. Relief of acute symptoms and attention to long-term complications and co-morbidities often preoccupy and sometimes overwhelm the treatment process. However, early and sustained remediation of endocrine and metabolic disturbances, plus containment of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, prevent the onset and limit the severity of chronic pathology. Glycaemic control is a crucial part of the treatment process, and serves as the conventional indicator of metabolic status. This chapter will focus on the treatment of hyperglycaemia, and, particularly, the role of pharmacological therapies.