Global Pharmacological Research on Diabetes Mellitus: A Bibliometric Analysis (2005–2025)

Abstract

Pharmacological management of diabetes mellitus has undergone substantial transformation over the past two decades, evolving from a treatment paradigm centred on glycaemic control alone to one that integrates cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic risk reduction. Despite the rapid expansion of the scientific literature in this domain, no comprehensive bibliometric account has systematically mapped the volume, distribution, collaborative structure, and thematic evolution of global pharmacological research on diabetes mellitus across the full 2005–2025 window. This study undertakes a bibliometric analysis of the global scientific literature on the pharmacological treatment of diabetes mellitus published between 2005 and 2025, characterising publication trends, leading contributors, journal distribution, and the evolution of research hotspots across major antidiabetic drug classes. Bibliographic records indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PubMed were retrieved using a structured search strategy combining controlled vocabulary and free-text terms related to diabetes mellitus and antidiabetic pharmacotherapy, restricted to January 2005 to June 2025. Data were screened, deduplicated, and analysed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the bibliometrix R package, generating descriptive statistics, co-authorship and co-citation networks, and keyword co-occurrence maps.5,6,7,8 A rising trajectory of scientific output was observed across the study period, with pronounced acceleration after 2015 coinciding with the publication of major cardiovascular outcome trials for SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists. The United States, China, and the United Kingdom emerged as leading contributors by output and citation impact, while Diabetes Care, Diabetologia, and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology were among the most influential journals. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed a thematic shift from insulin secretagogues and glycaemic endpoints in the early period toward incretin-based therapies, cardiorenal protection, artificial-intelligence-assisted drug discovery, and precision pharmacotherapy in the most recent five years. The bibliometric landscape of pharmacological diabetes research mirrors the clinical evolution of the field, transitioning from a glucocentric model to an integrated cardio-reno-metabolic framework. Continued growth is anticipated in precision pharmacology, network pharmacology approaches to polyherbal formulations, and artificial-intelligence-enabled drug discovery, while translational and regional research disparities remain important gaps for future investigation.