To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Actos (Pioglitazone) Available In UK For Type 2 Diabetes URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1E9BA6.htm Doctor's Guide November 7, 2000
LONDON, UK -- November 7, 2000 -- Takeda UK Limited has announced that Actos® (pioglitazone) is now available in the UK for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Actos is approved for use in the oral combination treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with insufficient glycaemic control despite maximal tolerated dose of oral monotherapy with either metformin (in obese patients) or a sulphonylurea (in patients for whom metformin is not tolerated or contraindicated). Actos is taken once daily and is available in 15 and 30 milligram tablets. "Type 2 diabetes is characterised by high blood sugar but also by lipid abnormalities, particularly raised triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol. This spectrum of metabolic imbalance related to insulin resistance together with raised blood pressure is the characteristic signature of most people with Type 2 diabetes. Any compound with the ability to improve this metabolic spectrum has great potential to improve the treatment of Type 2 diabetes" according to Professor John Betteridge, Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at University College, London. Professor Betteridge added "Pioglitazone, from available scientific evidence, reduces insulin resistance helping to address these metabolic concerns". Dr David Kerr, Consultant Physician, Bournemouth Diabetes & Endocrinology Centre, The Royal Bournemouth Hospital said "The availability of pioglitazone is good news for both patients and doctors. By improving insulin sensitivity, pioglitazone in combination with metformin and a sulphonylurea significantly reduces blood glucose levels which is vital when trying to manage Type 2 diabetes. In addition, pioglitazone in combination therapy decreased triglycerides and increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) with no significant effect on low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared to placebo." It is estimated that 1.4 million people in the UK have diabetes.1 Of these, between 75 percent and 90 percent have Type 2 diabetes.1 Dr Roger Gadsby a General Practitioner in Warwick commented that "The treatment of Type 2 diabetes is largely a condition managed in primary care. Any therapy, such as pioglitazone, that is taken once a day and is easy to use will be a valuable addition to the physician's armamentarium. I believe that pioglitazone has these characteristics." Actos is a member of the thiazolidinedione class of drugs commonly known as insulin sensitizers or glitazones. Actos helps restore the body's ability to effectively use its own insulin by reducing insulin resistance, which has been identified as a primary defect in Type 2 diabetes. By improving sensitivity to insulin, Actos in combination with other antidiabetic therapies significantly reduced raised blood glucose levels. References 1. Diabetes UK. Diabetes Fact Sheet. June 2000. Related Link: Takeda UK Limited. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.