Treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to present challenges, 
with many patients failing to achieve glycemic targets. Despite the availability 
of many oral and injectable anti-diabetic agents, therapeutic efficacy is often 
offset by undesirable side effects such as hypoglycemia, weight gain and 
cardiovascular complications. Therefore, the search for new therapeutic agents 
with an improved benefit-risk profile continues. Recent research has focused on 
the kidney as a potential therapeutic target, especially because maximal renal 
glucose reabsorption is increased in T2DM. Under normal physiological 
conditions, nearly all filtered glucose is reabsorbed in the proximal tubule of 
the nephron via the sodium/glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2). SGLT2-inhibitors 
are a new class of oral anti-diabetes, which reduce hyperglycemia by increasing 
urinary glucose excretion independently of insulin secretion or action. 
Canagliflozin and dapagliflozin in US market, and ipragliflozin and 
luseogliflozin in Japan market are now available for glycemic control in type 2 
diabetics. There are several phase III clinical ongoing trials involving this 
new class of medications. This review examines some of the key efficacy and 
safety data from clinical trials of the SGLT2 inhibitors approved, and their 
future perspectives in the treatment of T2DM.