Takeda diabetes drug slashes risk of second stroke

Patients with type 2 diabetes who have already suffered a first stroke have 47 percent less risk of having a second one if they take Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd’s drug Actos, researchers said on Sunday.

The finding, presented at the World Congress of Cardiology, is the latest sign that the oral anti-diabetic medicine provides benefits beyond lowering blood sugar levels.

Dr Robert Wilcox of University Hospital, Nottingham, England, said adding Actos to standard care reduced the incidence of secondary stroke by nearly half to 5.6 percent from 10.2 percent in this group of patients. 

There was, however, no effect of Actos on subsequent strokes in patients who had never experienced a stroke.

Actos, which is co-promoted by Eli Lilly and Co., belongs to a class of medicines called insulin sensitisers that also includes GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Avandia.

They work by making the body’s cells more sensitive to insulin, thereby helping people with type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes to better use their own natural insulin.

The new research comes from analysis of a large clinical study called PROactive, which first reported results a year ago. That found Actos reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death by 16 percent in all high-risk people with diabetes.

The initial study failed conclusively to show Actos prevented a broader range of adverse events, including the need for leg surgery, which had been its primary goal.

Dr Robert Spanheimer, medical director for diabetes at Takeda, said he believed doctors would be impressed by new data demonstrating such a large reduction in the risk of second stroke.

“This is amazing,” he told Reuters. “When you classically think of stroke, you think of blood pressure and maybe cholesterol. To think that a diabetes medicine does this is truly remarkable.”

RELATED STORIES:
Preventing Another Stroke: What You Should Know   Statins help elderly as well as young after stroke   Increased Stroke Risk from Birth Control Pills   Study finds that obstructive sleep apnea causes earlier death in stroke patients   Stents, surgery both prevent strokes: study   Patient Makes Dramatic Recovery From Stroke   Blood sugar control impacts stroke risk   ACTOS® Shows Reduced Risk of Secondary Stroke by Almost 50 Percent   Internal Body Clock Dictates Timing of Different Types of Stroke   Stroke Study Reveals Key Target for Improving Treatment   Drug combo reduces stroke severity   Occupational therapy is an effective way of improving the daily life of stroke patients

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]