Diabetes Drug Actos May Also Help Prediabetes
March 23, 2011 -- The diabetes drug Actos, which increases insulin sensitivity, appears to dramatically lower diabetes risk in people with prediabetes, according to a new study.
People with prediabetes who took the drug had a 72% reduction in diabetes risk, compared to patients who did not take it, researchers report.
They estimate that one case of diabetes could be prevented if 18 high-risk people were treated with the drug for a year.
The study appears in the March 24 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
The findings suggest that millions of people at high risk for diabetes may benefit from taking Actos, but experts urge caution.
Actos (pioglitazone) is in the same drug class as the controversial diabetes drug Avandia. The FDA severely restricted Avandia’s use last fall due to concerns that its use may be associated with an increase in heart attack risk.
Similar concerns have not been raised about Actos, and there are even suggestions that the drug protects the heart. But its use has been linked to fractures related to bone loss, weight gain, fluid retention, and other side effects.
Slideshow: Type 2 Diabetes Overview
People with prediabetes who took the drug had a 72% reduction in diabetes risk, compared to patients who did not take it, researchers report.
They estimate that one case of diabetes could be prevented if 18 high-risk people were treated with the drug for a year.
The study appears in the March 24 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
The findings suggest that millions of people at high risk for diabetes may benefit from taking Actos, but experts urge caution.
Actos (pioglitazone) is in the same drug class as the controversial diabetes drug Avandia. The FDA severely restricted Avandia’s use last fall due to concerns that its use may be associated with an increase in heart attack risk.
Similar concerns have not been raised about Actos, and there are even suggestions that the drug protects the heart. But its use has been linked to fractures related to bone loss, weight gain, fluid retention, and other side effects.
Slideshow: Type 2 Diabetes Overview