Clinical trials results have found that patients receiving a starting dose of Takeda Pharmaceutical's diabetes drug, Actos gain better control of blood sugar and lipid levels than those using GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia.
This finding comes on the heels of recent fears that Avandia increases heart attack risks. The findings are form the first 3 months of a 6 month study that pitted a 30 milligram dose of Actos against a 4 milligram dose of Avandia. Results were that Actos significantly reduced triglyceride and LDL cholesterol and increased levels of HDL cholesterol.
"A likely explanation for the different effects on heart attack and strokes between the two drugs could be the favorable effect of pioglitazone in increasing HDL cholesterol without adverse effects on LDL as demonstrated in the... study," said John Betteridge, professor of endocrinology and metabolism at University College, London.
[Source: Yahoo News]
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