(April 1, 2008) -- There is new hope for the roughly twenty million Americans with type-2 diabetes.
For the first time ever, a study has shown a diabetes drug can slow the progression of heart disease.
The drug is called Actos and makes the body more sensitive to the insulin it already has…which help sreduce the progression of atherosclerosis -- a build-up of fat, calcium and other deposits -- within artery walls.
This is good news because most diabetics die from heart attack or stroke.
The study of 543 patients by Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic compared two types of medications to treat type 2 diabetes -- Actos or pioglitazone and glimepiride, an older sulfonylurea drug that is among the most commonly used classes of antidiabetic therapies.