US Pharm. 2016;41(3):16.
New Haven, CT—A study conducted by investigators from Yale School of Medicine suggests that pioglitazone, which is used for type 2 diabetes, may prevent recurrent strokes and heart attacks in patients with insulin resistance but not diabetes. In the international trial, known as IRIS (Insulin Resistance After Stroke), >3,000 nondiabetic subjects who had had an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack in the last 6 months were randomized to pioglitazone or placebo for up to 5 years. Stroke or heart attack occurred in 9% of pioglitazone subjects and 11.8% of placebo subjects—a relative decrease of 24%. Results suggest that, for every 1,000 patients who take pioglitazone for up to 5 years, 28 strokes or heart attacks may be prevented.
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