In the largest diabetes prevention study ever, new research from the Diabetes Reduction Assessment with Ramipril and Rosiglitazone Medication (DREAM) has found that the drug, Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate) lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and helps patients with abnormal glucose levels achieve normoglycemia – an even sugar level. The results of the study were presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and published in the Lancet.

Avandia is a drug that lowers the amount of glucose in the blood. In type 2 diabetes the cells in the body have trouble recognizing and producing the correct amount of insulin. When this happens, the insulin is unable to turn sugar into blood cells that are needed for energy. As a result, the sugar builds up in the blood instead of being put into the cells and causes the cells to starve for energy. 

Diabetes is not a small problem. “We are in the midst of an epidemic of type 2 diabetes with global implications,” Dr. Bernard Zinman, a steering committee member of DREAM, said during a live webcast from the conference on Friday. Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 5% of adults worldwide. And in the U.S. alone, 18 million people suffer from type 2 diabetes. Another 41 million people have pre-diabetes – a condition where blood sugar levels are elevated but not high even to be type 2.

The DREAM trial conducted by the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Canada found that the incidence of developing type 2 diabetes was 62% lower when taking Avandia. The double blind study evaluated 5,269 participants with pre-diabetes for a period of three years and were assigned to take rosiglitazone, ramipril, or a placebo. The groups were then compared every six months for 3 – 5 years to determine if the two drugs affected the progression of type 2 diabetes. Only 10.6% of the patients taking rosiglitazone developed type 2 diabetes whereas 25% of the placebo group developed. In addition, 51% of the participants taking rosiglitazone had normal blood sugar levels after 3 years, while only 30% of the placebo group had the same affects. The trial also concluded that ramipril helps adults normalize their blood sugar. The results of ramipril will be published in a separate study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

What it means: Pre-diabetes is a serous problem that has not been addressed. Currently, there is not a single drug on the market that helps combat the progression of type 2 diabetes. With that in mind, between 29 and 55% of pre-diabetes cases will develop into type 2 diabetes within three years. Since rosiglitazone is already an approved medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, it can now be used for prevention to help stop diabetes before it stars.

From the Archive:

Dec. 8, 2003: Diabetes: Are You at Risk?
Jun. 6, 2006: Diabetes On The Move