This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Pioglitazone lowers CV, all-cause mortality risk in type 2 diabetes
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Adults with type 2 diabetes had lower rates of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and non-CV mortality when they were prescribed pioglitazone vs. those who had never taken the drug, study data show.
Fabian Hoti, PhD, of EPID Research in Finland, and colleagues evaluated databases with health and mortality data from three European countries (Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom) on 31,133 patients with type 2 diabetes prescribed pioglitazone (Actos, Takeda) from 2000 to 2011 (mean age, 63.17 years; 57.78% men; mean duration of treated diabetes, 4.77 years) and 31,133 adults with type 2 diabetes never prescribed pioglitazone (control group; mean age, 65.89 years; 55.01% men; mean duration of treated diabetes, 4.86 years). Patients were matched according to treatment stage, diabetes history and complications, CVD and year of cohort entry. Follow-up was a mean of 2.6 years in the pioglitazone group and 2.69 years in the control group.
During follow-up, more deaths occurred in the control group (n = 4,513) than in the pioglitazone group (n = 1,663). The same was true for deaths due to CV-related causes (691 vs. 2,098) and non-CV-related deaths (972 vs. 2,415). Circulatory system-related deaths (45.9%) and neoplasms (26.5%) were the most common causes of death.
HRs were lower among the pioglitazone group compared with the control group for all-cause mortality (HR = 0.6; 95% CI, 0.57-0.64), CV mortality (HR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.52-0.63) and non-CV mortality (HR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.58-0.68).
Among the entire cohort, 88% of CV deaths were due to myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure.
“This extended analysis following a large, observational multi-database European cohort study found that prescribing pioglitazone compared with an alternative treatment decision at a similar stage of disease progression was associated with a reduction in both CV and non-CV mortality,” the researchers wrote. “Further observational and prospective studies that are specifically designed to test the association between pioglitazone use and patient-focused outcomes, such as cause-specific mortality, are suggested.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosures: Hoti reports he is employed by EPID Research. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts