Avandia treats and prevents diabetes

A new study has found that a drug used by type 2 diabetes patients could also influence the development of the disease amongst obese people and pre-diabetics. Another medication has been found to lower the risk of heart disease and strokes.
Researchers in Canada have conducted a study into the effects of rosiglitazone, also called Avandia. They found that the drug, commonly prescribed by doctors for the treatment of diabetes, could also be taken by pre-diabetic patients with good results.
Pre-diabetics, who are usually obese and suffering from factors consistent with metabolic syndrome (or syndrome X), could help to prevent the onset of full-blown diabetes by taking the drug. The researchers investigated the figures, and found that for every 1,000 people taking Avandia over a three year period, 144 cases of diabetes would be prevented.
The second study was conducted in Germany, and involved the drug pioglitazone, also known as Actos. The researchers found that patients taking Actos faced a 23 per cent reduction in heart attacks compared to patients not taking the drug.
The results were presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Copenhagen .