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Rosiglitazone Improves Cholesterol Profile in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Presented at ACC

By Bruce K. Dixon

CHICAGO, IL -- April 4, 2003 -- Rosiglitazone increases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) levels and improves the ratio of HDLC to total cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study presented here at the 52^nd Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology.

Patients with type 2 diabetes are at high risk of cardiovascular disease, and many have low HDL levels. Recent guidelines from the National Cholesterol Education Program state that an HDL level lower than 40 mg/dL is a major risk factor for heart disease.

Ernst Schaefer, MD, and colleagues at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, retrospectively examined the long-term effect of rosiglitazone on HDLC using subanalyses of data from 269 patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients took rosiglitazone 8 mg/day for 24 months in open-label extensions of two similarly designed placebo-controlled, double-blind studies. Data were analyzed according to baseline HDLC values (below or above 40 mg/dL) and total cholesterol to HDLC ratio (below or above 5).

In all patients, mean HDLC levels increased 15%, from 45.3 to 51.9 mg/dL. Among the 99 patients with HDLC levels of less than 40 at baseline, mean HDLC increased 25%, from 33.1 to 41.3 mg/dL. Among the 170 patients with higher HDLC levels, the mean 2-year increase in HDLC was 10% from a baseline of 52.5 mg/dL.

"Previous research has shown that a 1% increase in HDL cholesterol is associated with a 1% lower risk of cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Schaefer, who directs the Lipid and Heart Disease Prevention Clinic at Tufts. "The data from this research shows the HDL-raising effect of rosiglitazone has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease."

The cholesterol ratio improved for all patients in the study, with an overall decrease from 5.06 to 4.7 over the 2-year treatment period. Among patients with a ratio of 5 or greater, the mean ratio fell from 6.25 to 5.6.

"As cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in patients with diabetes, 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," concluded Dr. Schaefer.

Funding for the study was provided by GlaxoSmithKline.


[Study title: Aggressive Lipid Intervention: Beyond Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (Oral Contributions). Abstract: 876-5]

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