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Actos lowers heart attack recurrence in diabetics

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 15:43 CST

By Martha Kerr

DALLAS (Reuters Health) - The diabetes drug pioglitazone (Actos; Takeda) significantly reduces the risk of heart attack in type 2 diabetics who have already had a heart attack, according to the results of a new study presented here Wednesday.

At the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005, Dr. Erland Erdmann of the University of Koln, Germany, announced the findings of the PROactive study of the effects of pioglitazone on recurrent heart attack. The study involved 2,445 type 2 diabetics who had experienced a heart attack at least 6 months prior to enrollment.

Patients were randomly assigned to either conventional optimal medical care or optimal care plus pioglitazone. Follow-up averaged 3 years.

Erdmann said that improvements in high levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and other cardiovascular risk factors showed that all patients did in fact receive optimal care.

However, the addition of pioglitazone to optimal treatment further reduced the risk of recurrent heart attack by 28 percent; the risk of acute coronary syndrome by 37 percent; and the overall risk of a major coronary event, stroke or the need for an invasive heart procedure by 19 percent. Acute coronary syndrome usually involves unstable angina, a form of chest pain that can signal an impending heart attack.

There is "no question" that adding pioglitazone to optimal care improves patient outcomes, Erdmann said.

"We saw no drug interactions with the addition of pioglitazone," he told Reuters Health. Some patients had low potassium levels, "but no actual side effects."

Erdmann acknowledged that pioglitazone can cause fluid retention, but none was seen in this trial.

Source: REUTERS

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