According to a new study published in the New England Journalism of Medicine, the diabetes drug Actos may help prevent serious complications from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The disorder is primarily caused by being overweight. Insulin resistance, diabetes and high levels of cholesterol all contribute to the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its complications.
The study included candidates with either insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. About half of the group took 45 milligrams of pioglitazone (brand name Actos, manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals) daily for six months, while the other half took a placebo. Both groups were asked to maintain a lower calorie diet. The group taking pioglitazone saw a decrease in their levels of abnormal liver enzymes and a 54 percent reduction in liver fat, compared to the placebo group. Insulin sensitivity in the liver improved by 48 percent in the pioglitazone group, as compared to only 14 percent in the placebo group.
Current treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is aimed at lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and exercising regularly. Pioglitazone offers a resolution to improve the metabolism of blood glucose, and decreases cholesterol. Researchers were especially excited by the findings of this study because there is now a pharmacological option that might help prevent end-stage liver disease.
1. Risks may outweigh benefits of popular diabetes drug (Actos)
October 24 2006
The health benefits of the widely prescribed diabetes drug pioglitazone do not compensate for the risks the medication poses, according to new study results.
German researchers, who examined 22 studies of the drug, which is marketed under the brand name Actos, concluded that pioglitazone treatment in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus did not positively affect patient-oriented outcomes such as mortality, morbidity, adverse effects and health-related quality of life.
In addition, researchers found that patients taking the drug had increased rates of edema and heart failure. It also put patients taking other medications at higher risk of dangerous drops in blood glucose levels. The study is reported in the current issue of The Cochrane Library journal.
DIABETES DRUG USELESS, EVEN HARMFULTuesday, October 24, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.com
A recent study notes the diabetes drug pioglitazone (Actos) has no clear-cut benefit for patients with type 2 diabetes, and may even be harmful to users. The scientists analyzed data from 22 clinical trials involving 6,200 patients who were prescribed pioglitazone - a member of the thiazolidinediones class of drugs, which theoretically increase the body's natural insulin supply - for type 2 diabetes. The authors reported no evidence that the drug had a positive impact on patients, but they did note an increase in edema and heart failure among pioglitazone users. - News Target
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Posted at 10:25PM on Dec 7th 2006 by Dennis