ARB Doesn’t Prevent Diabetes in Cardiovascular Disease

Lead researcher Dr. Joshua I. Barzilay stated, “Despite any possible benefits for hypertension, blocking the renin angiotensin system with telmisartan (Micardis) did not have the added benefit of improving glucose control and preventing diabetes or ameliorating abnormal glucose metabolism.” Barzilay noted that meta-analyses of hypertension studies have suggested that ARBs may help in prevention of incident diabetes. To investigate, they designed the randomized TRANSCEND trial, in which 3488 patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease but free from diabetes received telmisartan 80 mg or placebo added to usual care. Over a median follow-up of 56 months, 21.8% of treated patients and 22.4% of controls developed diabetes. When subgroups with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance were examined, progression to normoglycemia or to diabetes was equally likely with telmisartan or placebo. The results showed no evidence that telmisartan prevents new-onset diabetes or reverses impairments in fasting glucose or glucose tolerance. Diabetes Care July 25, 2011