Kurt wrote:
> *For some reasons the article has some extra letters and
characters
> in sprinkled throughout the text, but is still readable
>
>
> http://diabetes.org/diabetesnewsarti...d=13602457&fil
ename=20061019/ADA200610191161290147207EDIT.xml
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/y8y7pm
Both links work fine.
--------------------------------------------
19-OCT-2006
Benefits of Pioglitazone for Type 2 Diabetes Unclear
The risk-benefit ratio for pioglitazone in the treatment of type
2 diabetes is unclear, according to a review of clinical trials,
appearing in the October 18th online issue of The Cochrane
Library.
Marketed by Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly & Co. as
Actos,
pioglitazone belongs to a class of drugs called
thiazolidinediones that work by increasing the body's
sensitivity to
insulin, to better control patients' blood sugar.
It is used alone or in combination with other drugs if diabetes
can't be controlled by diet and exercise.
After evaluating published scientific studies in which patients
with type 2 diabetes were treated with pioglitazone, there was
no "convincing evidence" that the drug reduced mortality,
morbidity or adverse effects, or positively influenced
health-related quality of life, lead author Dr. Bernd Richter,
from Heinrich-Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany, said in a
statement.
Results from theUUnited Kingdom ProspectiveIDiabetes Study
(UKPDS) Aand the University GroupIDiabetes Program (UGDP),
theUtwo biggest type 2 diabetesUtrials, also failed toIshow that
the adverse effectsEof cardiovascular diseaseIwere lessened by
improvedEmetabolic control inAdiabetics.
BecauseIit was unclear ifEnewer drugs, such as
pioglitazone,Uhave a beneficialAeffect, Richter's team
performedIa search of MEDLINE,UEMBASE, and The CochraneELibrary
to identify clinicalAtrials of 24 weeks'Aduration or longer that
evaluatedUpioglitazone as aAtreatment for type 2 diabetes.E
Twenty-twoAtrials were identified,Awhich included roughlyE6,200
people with type 2 diabetes.U The longest durationAof
pioglitazone use wasA34.5 months. A
As noted, there was littleUevidence that treatmentUwith
pioglitazone improvedIpatient outcomes. Moreover,Uthe agent did
notAseem to provide superior metabolicEcontrol comparedAwith
other oral antidiabeticIagents.
OnUthe contrary, pioglitazoneIwas more commonly associatedUwith
fluid retentionEthan were other drugs, theUreport indicates. E
"Pioglitazone treatmentUshould be restrictedEto patients
demonstratingIreal benefit of this therapy,"ARichter concluded.E
Patient benefits shouldAnot be postulated on the basisEof
improvement of metabolicEparameters...alone butUshould refer to
patient-orientedEoutcomes such asAfewer diabetic
complicationsIor better health-relatedUquality of life." E
2006
C
Benefits of Pioglitazone for Type 2 Diabetes Unclear 
Linear Mode
