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Rosiglitazone
Shown to Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk
New
Data Shown to Increase Good Cholesterol Levels Up to 25 Percent
and a one
percent increase in HDL cholesterol is associated with a one
percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Data
presented last week at the 52nd Annual Scientific Session of the
American College of Cardiology showed that the Type 2 diabetes
treatment rosiglitazone increased "good" cholesterol
levels and improved the ratio of total
cholesterol-to-"good" cholesterol in patients with the
Type 2 diabetes, especially among patients at greatest risk for
cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is one of the most
serious complications of Type 2 diabetes, causing approximately 80
percent of diabetes-related deaths.
The
study, which analyzed data from open-label extensions of two
placebo-controlled, double-blind studies, examined the long-term
effect of rosiglitazone on high-density lipoprotein (HDL
cholesterol) -- also known as "good" cholesterol -- in
patients with Type 2 diabetes. HDL protects against cardiovascular
disease by moving cholesterol from the arteries to the liver,
where it is passed from the body. Many patients with Type 2
diabetes also have low HDL cholesterol levels. Recent guidelines
from the National Cholesterol Education Program state that an HDL
cholesterol level lower than 40 mg/dL is a major risk factor for
heart disease.
A
total of 269 patients in the two studies were given 8 mg of the
diabetes drug rosiglitazone daily for 24 months. In all patients,
mean HDL cholesterol levels increased 15 percent, with increases
of 25 percent in patients with HDL cholesterol levels of less than
40 mg/dL at baseline.
"Previous
research has shown that a one percent increase in HDL cholesterol
is associated with a one percent lower risk of cardiovascular
disease," said Ernst J. Schaefer, MD, abstract author and
Director of the Lipid and Heart Disease Prevention Clinic at
Tufts-New England Medical Center's Division of Endocrinology,
Diabetes, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, and Professor of
Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. "The data
from this research shows the HDL-raising effect of rosiglitazone
has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of
cardiovascular disease."
An
individual's total cholesterol-to-HDL cholesterol ratio is a
commonly used tool for assessing cardiovascular disease risk, with
a low ratio being associated with a lower risk. The ratio of
cholesterol-to-HDL cholesterol improved for all patients in the
study, with an overall decrease from 5.06 to 4.7 over the 24-month
treatment period. In patients with a ratio greater than 5, the
mean ratio decreased from 6.25 to 5.6.
"As
cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in
diabetes patients, it is important to consider treatment options,
such as rosiglitazone, that can control blood sugar levels by
reducing insulin resistance, and increase HDL cholesterol, which
may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease," said
Schaefer.
Individuals
with Type 2 diabetes produce insulin, but their bodies do not
utilize it properly. Rosiglitazone treats Type 2 diabetes by
sensitizing the cells in a diabetic's body to the insulin being
produced, enabling the cells to absorb needed nutrients.
Cholesterol
is a waxy substance found among the fats in the bloodstream and in
the body's cells. In high levels, HDL cholesterol protects against
cardiovascular disease by slowing arterial build-up. Funding for the study and media relations assistance was
provided by GlaxoSmithKline
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