(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the inner lining
of arteries) is particularly aggressive in patients with diabetes -- aggressive
enough to make cardiovascular disease the cause of death in about 75 percent of
patients with diabetes.
Because atherosclerosis is such a deadly disease for patients with diabetes,
pinpointing effective treatments is critical. Researchers at the Cleveland
Clinic studied the effects of two popular diabetes medications -- pioglitazone (Actos)
and glimepiride (Amaryl) -- to determine which one was more effective.
A total of 543 patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary diseases were studied
in a multi-center trail that included 97 hospitals across North and South
America. The patients underwent vascular ultrasounds to measure the progression
of atherosclerosis and were randomized to receive either pioglitazone or
glimepiride for 18 months.
Data revealed pioglitazone is a more effective treatment for the progression of
atherosclerosis. “Patients randomized to pioglitazone exhibited a lower rate of
progression of coronary atherosclerosis across a wide array or prespeicified and
exploratory subgroups. These findings may have important implications for
defining the optimal strategy for management or patients with type 2 diabetes
and coronary atherosclerosis,” study authors wrote.
Pioglitazone, which is in the thiazolidinedione class, is a relatively new drug,
whereas glimepiride, which is in the sulfonylurea class, has been available for
decades.
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008;299:1561-1573
