When come to reducing the hardening of arteries, a Japanese diabetes drug known as “Actos” can do a better job than the similar drug from the West. A study conducted by Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and published on March 31, 2008 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed such finding.
“Actos” is made in Japan by Takeda Laboratory. During the 18 months of clinical trials involving 543 patients in 97 clinics in North and South America, the researchers compared this drug with Amaryl, manufactured in France by Sanofi. So far, no diabetes drug has proved effective in reducing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Atherosclerosis is closely related to the diabetes patients. Past data has shown that 75 percent of deaths from Type-2 diabetes are actually caused by cardiovascular problems. It is known that the rate of diabetes is increasing tremendously in both developed and developing countries. Type-2 diabetes is the most common disorder in adults and it is increasingly linked to obesity.
In the study, the researchers utilized an ultra-sound scan to measure the volume of plaque found in 2 groups of patients’ arteries before and after the trials. The group that took “Actos” not only had no visible increase in arterial plaque but also showed a 0.16 percent of reduction, whereas the other group that was prescribed “Amaryl” showed a 0.73 percent growth of plaque.
Prior to this study, no diabetes therapy that could actually slow the progression of the disease. In other words, no one drug could do a better job than another could! Despite the breakthrough in treating diabetes with coronary disease as discovered in the current study, other health experts warn that “Actos” shares a common negative effect on heart failure, and other non-cardiovascular adverse effects such as bone fractures. Meanwhile, the researchers of the current study did suggest carrying out further studies before making any changes to the current treatment.
“Actos” is made in Japan by Takeda Laboratory. During the 18 months of clinical trials involving 543 patients in 97 clinics in North and South America, the researchers compared this drug with Amaryl, manufactured in France by Sanofi. So far, no diabetes drug has proved effective in reducing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Atherosclerosis is closely related to the diabetes patients. Past data has shown that 75 percent of deaths from Type-2 diabetes are actually caused by cardiovascular problems. It is known that the rate of diabetes is increasing tremendously in both developed and developing countries. Type-2 diabetes is the most common disorder in adults and it is increasingly linked to obesity.
In the study, the researchers utilized an ultra-sound scan to measure the volume of plaque found in 2 groups of patients’ arteries before and after the trials. The group that took “Actos” not only had no visible increase in arterial plaque but also showed a 0.16 percent of reduction, whereas the other group that was prescribed “Amaryl” showed a 0.73 percent growth of plaque.
Prior to this study, no diabetes therapy that could actually slow the progression of the disease. In other words, no one drug could do a better job than another could! Despite the breakthrough in treating diabetes with coronary disease as discovered in the current study, other health experts warn that “Actos” shares a common negative effect on heart failure, and other non-cardiovascular adverse effects such as bone fractures. Meanwhile, the researchers of the current study did suggest carrying out further studies before making any changes to the current treatment.
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