Diabetes Drug Slows Clogging of Arteries

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter
Tuesday, April 1, 2008; 4:00 AM

Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

MONDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- The diabetes drug Actos is better than another diabetes drug, Amaryl, at slowing clogging of the arteries in patients with both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The Cleveland Clinic researchers behind the new findings say this is the first time that a diabetes medication has been shown to slow atherosclerosis, giving doctors new insight into which drugs may be most effective and safest for this group of patients.

"As we go forward, the study tells us that we must do comparative effectiveness trials looking at different diabetes strategies," study author Steve Nissen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic, said Monday. "We can't just focus on pricking your finger, getting blood sugar down. The goal in diabetes therapy is to prevent complications, and the most feared complication is heart disease, which will kill 75 percent of all diabetics. I'm thrilled with results."

Another expert hailed the results.

"The biggest news here is that pioglitazone [Actos] appears safe, does not increase cardiovascular risk, and may even reduce it," said Dr. Robert Scott III, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and senior staff cardiologist with Scott&White in Temple, Texas. "It looks safe to use in people with coronary artery disease, and it is well-tolerated. We may need another trial to see how it helps, but at least it doesn't hurt, and that was our biggest concern."

The findings are published in the April 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association and were released Monday to coincide with a presentation at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting, in Chicago. The research was funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc., which makes Actos.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes are particularly susceptible to atherosclerosis, as evidenced by the fact that 75 percent of this group eventually die of cardiovascular disease.