US Pharm. 2011;36(4):8.
San Antonio, TX—According to a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the widely used diabetes medication Actos (pioglitazone) has been shown to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes in 72% of high-risk individuals. The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and seven collaborating centers enrolled 602 participants in the ACT Now study and followed them for an average of 2.4 years. Senior author Ralph DeFronzo, MD, chief of the diabetes division at the university, said that the “reduction is the largest decrease in the conversion rate of prediabetes to diabetes that has ever been demonstrated by any intervention, be it diet, exercise, or medication.” There was also a 31% decrease in the rate of thickening of the carotid artery, indicating that the participants’ glucose levels were well controlled, which could help prevent heart attack and stroke.
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