By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
For Mayo Clinic patients with type 2 diabetes, the decision about which drug to try is in the cards.
Only six cards are in this unique deck. Each bears information about an aspect of diabetes care, such as weight change and daily routine. Patients pick the card of greatest interest and discuss with their doctor how it relates to different diabetes drugs.

Except for one card summarizing how well different diabetes drugs control blood sugar — and they all do, to varying degrees — there isn't one that explains treatment benefits. How well do they protect against the ravages of diabetes, such as heart disease?

This was no oversight on the part of Victor Montori, developer of the card guides. He simply doesn't have that information. When it comes to diabetes drugs, nobody does.

Therein lies the problem for diabetes patients and their doctors. They have nine classes of drugs — five of which were just approved in the past decade — from which to choose but relatively little information about their risks and benefits. So for the most part, patients opt for the drug that will pack on the fewest pounds or comes in a pill instead of a shot.

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