Avandia May Prevent Diabetes For High Risk People

Featured Article
Main Category: Diabetes
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness;  Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 15 Sep 2006 - 10:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions

People at high risk of developing diabetes may be protected if they take Avandia (rosiglitazone), a drug currently used to treat the disease. A new study has indicated that high-risk people may reduce their chances of developing Diabetes Type 2 by over 50% if they take Avandia. Many volunteers in the study also found that the drug restored normal blood-sugar function.

As the study volunteers were regularly counselled about good eating habits it may be difficult to know exactly how much of the protection and improvement was due just to Avandia. Previous studies have shown that some simple changes in lifestyle can significantly reduce a person's risk of developing diabetes type II.

You can read about this study in The Lancet.

2,635 volunteers were given Avandia, while 2,634 were not. They all had pre-diabetes. In normal circumstances, up to 50% of them would be expected to develop diabetes type 2 within 36 months. 306 of the patients on Avandia developed diabetes type II after an average of three years, compared to 686 people who did not receive it.

However, only 2 non-Avandia volunteers developed heart failure, compared to 14 Avandia volunteers.

"Effect of rosiglitazone on the frequency of diabetes in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose: a randomised controlled trial"
"The DREAM (Diabetes REduction Assessment with ramipril and rosiglitazone Medication) Trial Investigators"
The Lancet DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69420-8
Click Here To View Study (PDF)

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today


Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today