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Avandia (rosiglitazone) - SmithKline Beecham

• Actos (pioglitazone HCl) / Amaryl (glimepiride) / Avandia (rosiglitazone) / Byetta (exenatide) / Diabeta, Micronase (glyburide) / Farxiga (dapagliflozin) / Glucophage (metformin) / insulin / Invokana (canagliflozin) / Januvia (sitagliptin) / Jardiance (empagliflozin) / Lantus (glargine) / Onglyza (saxagliptin) / Prandin™ (repaglinide) / Precose (acarbose) / Rezulin (troglitazone) / Starlix® (nateglinide) / Symlin (pramlintide acetate) / Victoza (liraglutide)

Where to purchase:

• See Avandia (rosiglitazone) at OffshoreRx1.com and alldaychemist.com.

News & Research:

• Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate) - rxlist.com - "AVANDIA improves glycemic control while reducing circulating insulin levels"
• New study adds to evidence of diabetes drug link to heart problems - Science Daily, 2/5/20 - "When the researchers analysed the IPD from trials made available by GSK, they found rosiglitazone was associated with a 33% increased risk of a composite cardiovascular event (heart attack, heart failure, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular related death) compared with controls"
• Skin patch dissolves 'love handles' in mice - Science Daily, 9/15/17 - "The new treatment approach was tested in obese mice by loading the nanoparticles with one of two compounds known to promote browning: rosiglitazone (Avandia) or beta-adrenergic receptor agonist (CL 316243) that works well in mice but not in humans ... Mice treated with either of the two drugs had a 20 percent reduction in fat on the treated side compared to the untreated side. They also had significantly lower fasting blood glucose levels than untreated mice"
• Could Common Diabetes Drugs Help Fight Leukemia? - WebMD, 9/2/15 - "patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who received a glitazone -- a class of drug for type 2 diabetes -- along with the standard CML drug imatinib remained disease-free for up to nearly five years ... Actos and Avandia are two well-known glitazone"
• Diabetes drug may protect against Parkinson's disease: A type of drug used to treat diabetes may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease - Science Daily, 7/21/15 - "diabetes patients taking glitazone antidiabetes drugs (either rosiglitazone or pioglitazone) had a 28% lower incidence of Parkinson's disease than people taking other treatments for diabetes who had never taken glitazones ... Glitazones are a class of drug that activate the peroxisome proliferation-activated gamma (PPARγ) receptor, which is found inside cells in many different body organs. PPARγ activation by glitazones leads to reduced insulin resistance, which has been useful for treating people with diabetes, but the receptor has many other functions that have not been studied as thoroughly in humans"
• Some Diabetes Drugs May Affect Cancer Risk in Women - WebMD, 12/6/13 - "Cleveland Clinic researchers analyzed data from more than 25,600 women and men with type 2 diabetes ... The drugs included "insulin sensitizers," which lower blood sugar and insulin levels in the body by increasing the muscle, fat and liver's response to insulin. The other drugs analyzed were "insulin secretagogues," which lower blood sugar by stimulating beta cells in the pancreas to make more insulin ... The use of insulin sensitizers in women was associated with a 21 percent decreased cancer risk compared to insulin secretagogues, the investigators found. Furthermore, the use of a specific insulin sensitizer called thiazolidinedione was associated with a 32 percent decreased cancer risk in women compared to sulphonylurea, an insulin secretagogue ... there were no significant differences between men who used insulin sensitizers or secretagogues"
• FDA Lifts Avandia Prescribing Restrictions - Medscape, 11/25/13 - "Although some scientific uncertainty about the cardiovascular safety of rosiglitazone medicines still remains, in light of the new re-evaluation of the Rosiglitazone Evaluated for Cardiovascular Outcomes and Regulation of Glycemia in Diabetes (RECORD) trial, our concern is substantially reduced ... Once the changes are final, the FDA anticipates that rosiglitazone's indication will be similar to those of other diabetes drugs"
• CVD Reduced With Metformin, Higher With Rosiglitazone - Medscape, 6/24/13 - "In 29 different studies, metformin was associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events, with the drug associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of heart failure in seven studies and a 12% reduction in the risk of MI in nine studies. In contrast, rosiglitazone was associated with a 21% increased risk of cardiovascular events in 25 studies, a 27% increased risk of heart failure in 13 studies, and a 17% increased risk of MI in 21 studies"
• Re-analysis of diabetes drug finds no higher heart attack risk - Science Daily, 6/7/13 - "A re-analysis of the data from a pivotal study of rosiglitazone found no increased risk of cardiovascular events associated with the controversial diabetes drug"
• FDA on RECORD Readjudication: Avandia Does Not Up CV Risk - Medscape, 6/6/13 - "The conclusion of a recent readjudication of the Rosiglitazone Evaluated for Cardiovascular Outcomes and Regulation of Glycemia in Diabetes (RECORD) trial, that the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) does not increase the risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes ... Readjudication of a total 2223 events revealed no significant event risks for the rosiglitazone group (2220 patients) compared with those receiving sulfonylureas and/or metformin (2227). The hazard ratios were 0.95 for the composite end point of CV death, MI or stroke; 0.90 for CV death; 1.13 for MI; 0.79 for stroke; and 0.86 for all-cause death. None of those were statistically significant"
• Diabetes drug improves memory, study suggests - Science Daily, 11/21/12 - "treatment with the anti-insulin-resistance drug rosiglitazone enhanced learning and memory as well as normalized insulin resistance. The scientists believe that the drug produced the response by reducing the negative influence of Alzheimer's on the behavior of a key brain-signaling molecule" - Note:  Rosiglitazone is the one that they say increases the risk of heart disease.  Pioglitazone is in the same class of drugs but they claim that increases the chances of bladder cancer.  Personally I don't have diabetes but I take low dose metformin and pioglitazone.  See my Insulin and Aging page.
• New link between high-fat 'Western' diet and atherosclerosis identified - Science Daily, 10/8/12 - "endothelial lipase (EL), an enzyme associated with the development of atherosclerosis ... In the current study, a strain of mice susceptible to atherosclerosis was fed a normal diet enriched with either palmitic acid (a common saturated fat) or eicosapentaenoic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid, or polyunsaturated fat, found in fish oil, among other foods). After 12 weeks, the mice's aortas were examined for changes in the expression of EL and inflammatory factors. Aortas of mice fed the saturated fat diet showed a significant increase in EL and detrimental changes in inflammatory factors, while those of mice fed the polyunsaturated fat diet showed a significant decrease in EL and beneficial changes in inflammatory factors ... when the macrophages were given rosiglitazone, the expression of EL increased markedly. The addition of omega-3 fatty acids to the cells blocked this increase. "This would suggest that besides raising LDL cholesterol levels, rosiglitazone can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease by increasing EL,"" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Pioglitazone Is Associated With Risk for Bladder Cancer - Medscape, 8/7/12 - "Ever use of pioglitazone was associated with 83% higher risk for bladder cancer �� a significant increase — compared with never users. The bladder cancer rate increased significantly with duration of pioglitazone use, with the highest rates in patients who were exposed for >2 years, and in patients whose cumulative dose exceeded 28,000 mg. Notably, no excess risk for bladder cancer was observed for patients who received rosiglitazone (Avandia)"
• Kids With Type 2 Diabetes: Combo Treatment Best? - WebMD, 4/29/12 - "Combined treatment with the diabetes drugs metformin and Avandia proved more effective than metformin alone or metformin plus lifestyle changes for keeping blood sugar at normal levels ... 38% of patients who took metformin and Avandia failed treatment ... 46% of patients in the metformin and lifestyle part of the study failed treatment"
• New study adds weight to diabetes drug link to heart problems - Science Daily, 3/17/11
• Obesity and Fatty Liver disease - MedicineNet.com - "Doctors also are using medications to treat non alcoholic fatty liver disease. For example, insulin-sensitizing agents, such as the thiazolidinediones, pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia), and metformin (Glucophage) not only help to control blood glucose in patients with diabetes, but they also improve enzyme levels in patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease"
• Study compares risk with 2 diabetes drugs - Science Daily, 8/24/10 - "risks of heart disease events and death were no different between patients who took the diabetes drugs rosiglitazone or pioglitazone. In this analysis, approximately 4 percent of patients taking either drug -- sold as Avandia and Actos -- suffered a heart attack, heart failure, both or died over a 33-month period ... Besides its findings that rosiglitazone and pioglitazone have comparable risks, what distinguishes this latest study from other claims-based analyses is its analysis of death records, which include out-of-hospital deaths ... study also followed patients for a longer period of time than some of the earlier research" - So the two drugs have equal risks but what's confusing is how does that 4% risk compare to a placebo?
• New meta-analysis demonstrates heart risks associated with rosiglitazone - Science Daily, 6/28/10 - "In the combined studies, rosiglitazone therapy was associated with a significantly increased risk of myocardial infarction by an estimated 28 percent to 39 percent, although the risk of cardiovascular death was not increased"
• Metformin vs. Sulfonylureas for Diabetes - WebMD, 12/4/09 - "Researchers reported that diabetes patients who used sulfonylureas had a higher risk of death from all causes and a higher risk of heart failure than diabetes patients who used the most widely prescribed diabetes drug, metformin ... Compared with metformin, also known as Glucophage, single-drug treatment with first- and second-generation sulfonylureas was associated with up to a 61% increased risk for death. Users of second-generation sulfonylureas had up to a 30% higher risk for congestive heart failure ... Patients treated with Actos or Avandia did not appear to have a greater risk for heart attacks than those treated with metformin"
• Diabetes Drug Shows Promise In Fighting Lethal Cancer Complication - Science Daily, 9/24/09 - "in an animal study, a diabetes drug that promotes insulin sensitivity slowed the progression of muscle wasting and fat loss, the main consequences of a syndrome called cachexia ... Research suggests that cachexia is responsible for between one-fifth and one-third of all cancer deaths ... These data provide evidence that in mice with colon cancer tumors, insulin resistance may be involved in the development of cachexia rather than occur as a result of cachexia ... Within eight days, the mice with cancer receiving the rosiglitazone showed more sensitivity to insulin than did the mice with tumors that received no medication. The insulin sensitivity of the medicated mice matched that of mice without tumors ... In addition to stopping fat and muscle loss, the rosiglitazone also dramatically reduced two biological markers present when proteins break down, particularly in muscles, and a third marker that indicates cells are eating their own amino acids in an attempt to survive" - Note:  I don't know why they did this study with rosiglitazone.  That's the one that may be connected to heart disease.  Pioglitazone is the same class of drug and is not connected to heart disease.  I take it for anti-aging also.  See my Insulin and Aging page.
• Rosiglitazone Increases Risk of Heart Failure, Death Compared With Pioglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 8/20/09 - "The researchers estimated that, for every 93 patients treated with rosiglitazone rather than pioglitazone, 1 additional cardiovascular event or death would be predicted to occur annually"
• Rosiglitazone Safety Questioned, Again - Medscape, 8/19/09
• Can We Now Dismiss Concerns Over Rosiglitazone? - Medscape, 7/20/09 - "In summary, the RECORD study suggests that rosiglitazone is probably safe and effective in carefully selected patients. However, concerns about this agent are far from alleviated. As with all therapies, one must ask whether the risks are worth the benefits, and whether another available option might be the wiser choice"
• Avandia Study Spurs New Heart Risk Debate - WebMD, 6/5/09
• Insulin May Protect Mind, Memory - WebMD, 2/2/09 - "lower insulin levels were enhanced by adding Avandia, which increases the body's sensitivity to insulin. Study authors say the discovery that diabetes drugs shield nerve junctions in the brain from memory loss offers new hope for fighting the disease" - Note:  Avandia is the one with increased heart disease.  I've been taking Actos (pioglitazone) for prevention.  See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Thiazolidinediones inhibit REG Ialpha gene transcription in gastrointestinal cancer cells - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Dec 29 - "TZDs may therefore be a candidate for novel anti-cancer drugs for patients with gastrointestinal cancer expressing both REG Ialpha and PPARgamma"
• Diabetes Drug Shows Potential For Treating One Cause Of Chronic Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 12/16/08
• Popular Class Of Diabetes Drugs Doubles Risk Of Fractures In Women - Science Daily, 12/10/08 - "We knew going into this study that there was an association between thiazolidinediones and fracture risk ... these agents double the risk of fractures in women with type 2 diabetes"
• Diabetes Medications In Same Class Carry Different Risks Of Heart Failure, Death - Science Daily, 12/1/08 - "individuals taking rosiglitazone had a 15 percent higher rate of death and a 13 percent greater risk of heart failure compared with those taking pioglitazone"
• Older patients face higher mortality, CHF hospitalizations with rosiglitazone over pioglitazone - theheart.org, 11/24/08 - "In the study's primary analysis, which assumed that patients were exposed to the drug for just 60 days after the date of their most recently filled prescription (and adjusted for patient characteristics), diabetic patients initially treated with rosiglitazone had a 15% higher mortality rate than patients on pioglitazone. Rates of first hospitalization for congestive heart failure—a known side effect of TZDs—were 13% higher in the rosiglitazone group than in the pioglitazone group. In contrast to recent studies pointing to a risk of ischemic events with rosiglitazone, rates of MI and stroke were no different between the groups"
• Patients Taking Rosiglitazone Have Higher Risk of Death, Heart Failure Than Those Taking Pioglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 11/24/08
• APPROACH: Rosiglitazone doesn't affect atherosclerosis progression in diabetics with CV disease - theheart.org, 11/13/08
• Controversial diabetes med doesn't slow plaque - msnbc.com, 11/12/08
• Do Diabetes Drugs Affect Heart Health? - WebMD, 10/27/08 - "metformin seemed to be associated with a decrease in heart disease and heart-related deaths ... researchers point to metformin as a drug that is "moderately protective" and Avandia as "possibly harmful." ... Avandia, which works well to reduce blood sugar, was associated with a higher risk of heart attack. However, researchers in that case also acknowledged that their conclusions were limited by a lack of access to original clinical data"
• Rosiglitazone May Preserve Vision in Diabetic Retinopathy - Medscape, 6/12/08
• Diabetes Medication Associated With Slower Progression Of Retina Disease - Science Daily, 6/9/08
• Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone similarly improve insulin sensitivity and secretion, glucose tolerance and adipocytokines in type 2 diabetic patients - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2008 May 12 - "Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone have similar beneficial effects on glycaemic control insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion and plasma adipocytokine levels. However, pioglitazone has a more beneficial effect on the plasma lipid profile than rosiglitazone"
• VICTORY: "Reassuring" atherosclerosis/metabolic data on rosiglitazone - theheart.org, 4/10/08 - "Lead investigator Dr Olivier Bertrand (Laval University, Quebec, QC) said that, while this was chiefly a mechanistic study, the results "provide reassurance about the safety of rosiglitazone, which has been under fierce attack compared with pioglitazone [Actos, Takeda Pharmaceuticals]"
• Effect of Rosiglitazone on Cardiac Fibroblast Proliferation, Nitric Oxide Production and Connective Tissue Growth Factor Expression Induced by Advanced Glycation End-products - J Int Med Res. 2008 Mar-Apr;36(2):329-35 - "AGEs significantly accelerated proliferation, increased CTGF expression and decreased nitric oxide production in cardiac fibroblasts. These effects of AGEs were inhibited by RGZ in a dose-dependent manner"
• Pioglitazone May Prevent Progression of Atherosclerosis in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 4/2/08 - "Two TZD agents are currently on the market -- pioglitazone and rosiglitazone. Both agents reduce inflammatory biomarkers, while pioglitazone also produces elevation of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and reduction of triglyceride levels ... Dr. Nissen said the findings of the PERISCOPE study support the conclusion that treatment with pioglitazone can prevent the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes during 18 months of treatment. These finding may have important implications for defining the optimal strategy for management of patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary atherosclerosis" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Thiazolidinediones May Act Against Psoriasis - Medscape, 3/26/08 - "The adjusted odds ratio for a first time diagnosis of psoriasis in current users of five or more prescriptions for thiazolidinediones was 0.33, as compared to no use. The adjusted odds ratio for metformin was 0.77" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Why Certain Diabetes Drugs Appear To Lower Blood Pressure - Science Daily, 3/4/08 - "Drugs called thiazolidinediones (TDZs), which are used to treat type II diabetes, target and activate PPAR gamma. In addition to controlling blood sugar, these drugs also appear to lower blood pressure ... It appears that when PPAR gamma is activated it initiates a cascade of events that protect the blood vessel ... When we interfere with the PPAR gamma pathway, those protective mechanisms are eliminated and the blood vessel becomes dysfunctional" - I've read all the negative of thiazolidinediones (TDZs) and I still feel the good outweigh the bad.  I take Actos (pioglitazone HCl) to help prevent diabetes among other thing like I feel they will eventually show that it helps prevent advanced glycation end products, a major cause of aging.
• Beneficial effects of rosiglitazone on novel cardiovascular risk factors in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus - Diabet Med. 2008 Mar;25(3):333-40 - "Rosiglitazone treatment significantly increased VO2 peak (P < 0.0001), the duration of the exercise test (P < 0.0001), oxygen pulse (P = 0.010) and TIMP-2 levels (P = 0.008) in comparison with CG. Insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia, diastolic blood pressure and MMP-9 levels were also reduced ... Rosiglitazone treatment increases cardiorespiratory fitness and modulates favourably serum adiponectin, MMP-9 and TIMP-2 levels. Whether these effects produce cardiovascular benefits in the long term requires further investigation" - Like I said above, I've read all the negative of thiazolidinediones (TDZs) and I still feel the good outweigh the bad.  I take Actos (pioglitazone HCl) (OffshoreRx1.com) (rosiglitazone's competition) to help prevent diabetes among other thing like I feel they will eventually show that it helps prevent advanced glycation end products, a major cause of aging.
• Comparative effects of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone on fasting and postprandial low-density lipoprotein size and subclasses in patients with Type 2 diabetes - Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2008 Feb;9(3):343-9 - "HbA1c, insulin sensitivity (as assessed by the homeostasis model assessment) and LDL size and subclasses did not differ before treatments. Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone resulted in a similar improvement in HbA1c and insulin sensitivity. Fasting total cholesterol increased more after rosiglitazone compared with pioglitazone (p = 0.04), whereas triglycerides decreased after pioglitazone and increased after rosiglitazone ... Pioglitazone was more effective than rosiglitazone in increasing larger LDL concentrations (in both fasting and postprandial status) as well as in reducing levels of atherogenic small, dense particles (in postprandial status only)"
• Clinical trials with thiazolidinediones in subjects with Type 2 diabetes--is pioglitazone any different from rosiglitazone? - Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2008 Feb;9(3):405-20 - "these agents have markedly different effects on lipids. Rosiglitazone increases total, low- and high-density lipoprotein (LDL and HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides, whereas pioglitazone has no effect on total or LDL cholesterol, increases HDL cholesterol and decreases triglycerides. Both rosiglitazone and pioglitazone decrease inflammatory markers. Furthermore, both rosiglitazone and pioglitazone may cause a small decrease in blood pressure, improve endothelial function and reduce restenosis. Microalbuminuria is also reduced by both rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. Despite the improvements in surrogate end points, there is little clear evidence that either rosiglitazone or pioglitazone cause major improvements in cardiovascular outcomes. Thus, rosiglitazone has no effect or may even increase cardiovascular outcomes, whereas, in high-risk subjects, pioglitazone has a marginal ability to decrease cardiovascular outcomes"
• thiazolidinediones-improving endothelial function and potential long-term benefits on cardiovascular disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes - J Diabetes Complications. 2008 Jan-Feb;22(1):62-75 - "Insulin-sensitizing agents such as thiazolidinediones have demonstrated a number of clinical benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic properties, which may impact on the course of atherosclerosis. Recent studies have demonstrated that thiazolidinediones improve endothelial function in subjects with and without type 2 diabetes"
• Diabetes Drug May Up Elderly Deaths - WebMD, 12/11/07 - "Patients taking thiazolidinediones were 29% more likely to die, 40% more likely to have a heart attack, and 60% more likely to develop congestive heart failure than patients taking different types of diabetes drugs"
• Use of Diabetes Medication by Older Adults Linked with Increased Risk of Heart Problems, Death - Doctor's Guide, 12/11/07
• Another Study Finds Heart Risks in a Diabetes Drug - New York Times, 12/11/07 - "Avandia users had a 60 percent increased risk of heart failure, a 40 percent increased risk of heart attacks and a 30 percent increased risk of death, compared with patients taking other oral diabetes medicines"
• New Diabetes Drugs Bad for Bones - WebMD, 12/3/07 - "The diabetes drug Avandia promotes osteoporosis not only by slowing bone growth but also by speeding up bone loss. Actos, the only other drug in the same class, likely does this as well"
• Avandia Gets New Black-Box Warning - WebMD, 11/14/07
• Rosiglitazone May Increase Mortality Among Diabetic Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis - Doctor's Guide, 11/5/07
• TZDs May Reduce Lung Cancer Risk - Physician's Weekly, 10/29/07 - "A 33% reduction in lung cancer risk was found among TZD users"
• Rosiglitazone and Pioglitazone Increase Risk of Congestive Heart Failure But Not the Risk of Cardiovascular Death - Doctor's Guide, 10/2/07
• Fresh fuel for the glitazone controversy: New pioglitazone and rosiglitazone meta-analyses - theHeart.org, 9/11/07 - "If one is anticipating that this type of drug would be appropriate, then I think there is now a lot of evidence to suggest that pioglitazone is the preferred drug"
• Long-term Use Of Diabetes Drug Increases Heart Attack Risk By More Than 40 Percent - Science Daily, 9/11/07 - "Based on the analysis, the researchers estimate that for every 220 diabetic patients treated with Avandia for one year, one will have a heart attack linked to the drug. And, there would be one case of heart failure for every 30 people taking the drug for one year"
• Diabetes Drugs and Heart Risk - WebMD, 9/11/07
• Re-Analysis of Controversial Meta-Analysis Says Writing Off Rosiglitazone May Be Premature - Doctor's Guide, 8/9/07 - "Now, a re-analysis of the data used in the Nissen and Wolski analysis -- using different statistical models -- suggests that the earlier methodology may have resulted in inflated risk estimates"
• FDA Panel: Keep Avandia on Market - WebMD, 7/30/07
• Diabetes Drugs Increase Risk Of Heart Failure, Research Shows - Science Daily, 7/27/07
• Report Backs Up Warnings About Drug Avandia - New York Times, 7/27/07
• Higher Cancer Prevalence Seen Among Diabetics Taking Thiazolidinediones - Medscape, 7/18/07 - "There was a significant association with rosiglitazone use with an odds ratio of 1.89 (p = 0.02) for malignancy, but not with pioglitazone use (OR = 1.09"
• New Review Adds More Reasons To Avoid Diabetes Drug Avandia - Science Daily, 7/18/07
• Diabetes Drug Avandia: Heart Disease Risk Inconclusive? - WebMD, 7/5/07 - "The researchers note that they can't tell yet if there is an association between Avandia and heart attacks or Avandia and heart disease in general"
• Rosiglitazone Reduces Inflammatory Markers in Unstable Atherosclerotic Plaque - Doctor's Guide, 6/13/07 - "these findings provide further support for the possibility that thiazolidinediones might provide a novel form of therapy for plaque stabilization in patients with atherosclerotic disease"
• Interim Analysis Shows No Increased Heart Risk With Avandia - Doctor's Guide, 6/5/07 - "findings from an interim analysis of RECORD (Rosiglitazone Evaluated for Cardiac Outcomes and Regulation of glycemia in Diabetes), a prospective clinical trial designed specifically to determine cardiovascular outcomes in more than 4,400 patients with type 2 diabetes, adds further evidence to the overall cardiovascular safety profile of Avandia(R) (rosiglitazone maleate)"
• From Prediabetes to Diabetes to Cardiovascular Complications: Is the Progression Preventable? - Medscape, 5/31/07 - "TZDs have shown considerable promise in preventing or slowing the progression from prediabetes to diabetes and from diabetes to CV complications. Their effects on insulin resistance and myriad intermediates of CVD (eg, lipids, inflammatory cytokines) suggest potential benefits for at-risk patients that may extend beyond improved glucose control"
• Calm Urged for Avandia Patients - WebMD, 5/24/07
• The Rosiglitazone Aftermath: Legitimate Concerns or Hype? - Medscape, 5/24/07 - "Haffner added that if the 43% increase in risk shown in the analysis had occurred in the ongoing RECORD study with rosiglitazone, it would have been stopped a year ago. “I think if a proper meta-analysis were done with rosiglitazone, it would probably show some increased risk, but this would not be significant ... the worst-case scenario from these data is that rosiglitazone would elevate risk for MI from 1.4% to 2% ... Nathan believes pioglitazone is a better bet than rosiglitazone, as it does not have the same adverse lipid profile"
• Diabetes drug called potential death risk - USA Today, 5/21/07 - "Avandia appears to raise the risk of heart attack by 43% and cardiovascular death by 64% ... Taken together 86 patients suffered heart attacks, and 39 died of cardiovascular disease, a number small enough to raise the possibility that the increased risk occurred by chance"
• GlaxoSmithKline Responds to NEJM Article on Avandia - Doctor's Guide, 5/21/07 - "GSK strongly disagrees with the conclusions reached in the NEJM article, which are based on incomplete evidence and a methodology that the author admits has significant limitations"
• Diabetes Drug Dramatically Boosts Power Of Platinum Chemotherapy - Science Daily, 5/7/07 - "Combining a platinum chemotherapy agent and the diabetes drug rosiglitazone halted or shrank mouse tumors as much as three times more effectively than either of the drugs given alone"
• Drugs to Prevent Diabetes Questioned - WebMD, 4/26/07 - "the long-term benefits of such treatments are not known ... Avandia was found to lower type 2 diabetes risk by 62% among people at high risk for developing the disease in a large, international trial reported last fall"
• Rosiglitazone Does Not Adversely Affect Cardiac Function in Type 2 Diabetics With Heart Failure - Medscape, 4/16/07
• STARR: Rosiglitazone Shows Trend Toward Reduced Atherosclerosis Progression in Prediabetes Patients - Medscape, 3/28/07 - "The thiazolidinedione antidiabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) showed a trend toward a reduction in carotid intima media thickness (IMT) according to the primary end point measurement and a significant reduction according to the secondary end point measurement in the STARR study in patients with prediabetes. But the ACE inhibitor ramipril (Altace, King Pharmaceuticals) did not show any change in carotid IMT compared with placebo"
• Diabetes Drug May Up Bone Fractures - WebMD, 2/22/07 - "Patients were followed for four to six years as they took their assigned drugs ... During that time, women taking rosiglitazone were more likely to have bone fractures than women taking either metformin or glyburide ... This problem was not seen in men taking rosiglitazone"
• Rosiglitazone Linked to Fracture Risk in Women - Medscape, 2/21/07 - "Although results showed that rosiglitazone was significantly more effective than either metformin or glyburide in reducing the risk for therapeutic failure, women receiving the drug were significantly more likely than their metformin- and glyburide-treated counterparts to experience fractures of the humerus (rate per 100 patient-years, 0.23 for rosiglitazone vs 0 for metformin and 0 glyburide), hand (0.37 vs 0.21 and 0.06), or foot (1.01 vs 0.36 and 0.25)"
• MedWatch: Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - Doctor's Guide, 2/21/07 - "Significantly more female patients who received rosiglitazone experienced fractures of the upper arm, hand, or foot, than did female patients who received either metformin or glyburide"
• The Long-term Effects of Rosiglitazone on Serum Lipid Concentrations - Medscape, 1/31/07 - "Total cholesterol values from 3 months until 18 months after the beginning of rosiglitazone use were higher than those at baseline. Total cholesterol values from 12 to 18 months after the beginning of rosiglitazone use were significantly lower than those at the 3-month timepoint. Total cholesterol values from 15 to 18 months after the use of rosiglitazone began were significantly lower than those values at 6 months"
• Which Drug for Initial Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes? - Medscape, 1/17/07 - "rosiglitazone was moderately more effective than the other two drugs in controlling fasting glucose levels during the first several years after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes"
• Rosiglitazone, Not Ramipril, Prevents Progression to Diabetes in Patients - Medscape, 12/14/06 - "After a median 3 years of follow-up, the primary outcome of diabetes or death occurred significantly less often in patients who received rosiglitazone than in those who received placebo (12% vs. 26%); the difference was due entirely to a reduction in incident diabetes ... Ramipril recipients were significantly more likely than placebo recipients to regress to normoglycemia (42% vs. 38%), but a trend toward a lower rate of incident diabetes in patients who received ramipril did not reach statistical significance"
• Diabetes Drugs Compared - WebMD, 12/6/06 - "Avandia had the lowest treatment failure rate -- 15% -- compared with 21% for Glucophage and 34% for Micronase"
• Diabetes Drug's Benefits Come at a Price - Intelihealth, 12/4/06 - "62 on Avandia developed a heart problem compared with 58 on metformin and 41 on glyburide. Avandia users also gained an average of more than 10 pounds over five years; metformin users lost more than six pounds while glyburide users gained three and then stabilized. Fractures, especially in women, were nearly twice as common among those taking Avandia"
• Landmark Study Shows Rosiglitazone Maleate More Effective Than Metformin or a Sulfonylurea in Long-Term Blood Sugar Control in Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 12/4/06 - "initial treatment with Avandia(R) (rosiglitazone maleate) reduced the risk of monotherapy failure in people with type 2 diabetes by 32% compared to metformin (P <.001), and 63% compared to glyburide (P <.001) at five years ... commonly reported adverse events across the treatment groups were ... hypoglycemia (glyburide 38.7%; metformin 11.6%; rosiglitazone 9.8%)"
• Thiazolidinediones, Insulin Resistance And Obesity - Medscape, 11/8/06 - "Several studies indicate, rather than a neutral effect, a significant reduction in visceral adipose tissue with TZD therapy.[72-75] In patients taking metformin, however, there is conflicting evidence, with some studies showing no significant change in visceral fat mass[73] and others showing significant decreases with metformin treatment (Figure 5).[74] Rosiglitazone (but not metformin) is also associated with decreases in hepatic fat, as shown by reductions in the liver:spleen attenuation ratio, and, while both agents reduced plasma FFA, the decrease was only statistically significant in the rosiglitazone group"
• Rosiglitazone Reduces Incident Type 2 Diabetes and Increases Regression to Normoglycemia in Patients With Prediabetes - Medscape, 10/30/06 - "treatment with rosiglitazone reduced the incidence of diabetes by 62% ... Rosiglitazone treatment improved glycemic abnormalities in participants with isolated IFG by 70% ... and in those with both IFG and IGT by 64%"
• DREAM: Rosiglitazone Effective in Preventing Diabetes - Medscape, 10/24/06 - "8 mg daily of rosiglitazone given to 2365 patients resulted in 306 cases of diabetes or death (11.6%) compared with 686 cases of diabetes or death (26.0%) in 2634 patients given a placebo, a difference that was highly statistically significant at P < .0001. In terms of reaching normal glycemic levels, 1330 patients (50.5%) in the rosiglitazone group and 798 patients (30.3%) receiving placebo achieved normal glycemic levels"
• 'Diabetes' Treatment Stops Alzheimer's - WebMD, 9/25/06 - "Alzheimer's disease is really "type 3 diabetes" -- that is, a kind of brain diabetes ... The drug de la Monte and colleagues found so useful for rats is very similar to two drugs currently used to treat diabetes: Actos and Avandia. Known as "TZDs" or "glitazones," the drugs make the body's cells more sensitive to insulin"
• Canadian-Led Study Shows That Diabetes Can Be Prevented With Drug Therapy - Doctor's Guide, 9/15/06
• Drug 'Avandia' May Prevent Diabetes - WebMD, 9/15/06 - "People at high risk for diabetes who took the drug Avandia reduced their risk of developing the disease by 60% in the three-year trial ... taking the drug metformin (Glucophage), which is already widely used for diabetes prevention, was associated with a 31% reduction in disease risk -- about half that seen in the Avandia study"
• FDA Approves Avandamet (Rosiglitazone Maleate and Metformin HCl) as Initial Therapy in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 7/11/06
• Women Gain More Weight Than Men When Taking Thiazolidinedione - Doctor's Guide, 5/3/06 - "Among the 100 consecutive patients treated with thiazolidinediones, 52 gained significant weight. There were more women in the group of weight-gainers compared to the group of non-weight-gainers (63.5% vs. 37.5%, P <.05)"
• Higher Risk Patients Benefit More After Conversion from Pioglitazone to Rosiglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 5/3/06 - "conversion from rosiglitazone to pioglitazone while maintaining statin therapy, improves the lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes"
• Drug May Reduce Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy - Doctor's Guide, 5/3/06
• Pioglitazone Has Cholesterol Advantages Versus Rosiglitazone in Elderly Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 5/2/06 - "patients receiving pioglitazone showed improvements from baseline compared with rosiglitazone in TG, HDL-C, as well as LCL-C particle concentration and size ... Although both agents increased HDL-C, the increase achieved with pioglitazone was significantly greater"
• Alzheimer's patients put diabetes pill [Avandia] to the test - MSNBC, 5/1/06 - "The new theory: The metabolism of neurons’ internal power factors, called mitochondria, go awry so that those cells don’t use enough sugar. That eventually leads to impaired brain cell function, including the buildup of that gunky beta-amyloid. It also means that neurons in youth and middle age don’t sprout enough communication connections, providing less “cognitive reserve” once their neurons start dying off"
• Diabetes Drug May Prevent Alzheimer's - WebMD, 4/25/06 - "if you are suffering Alzheimer's disease and don't have ApoE4, your results seem to get better faster with Avandia"
• Rosiglitazone and Pioglitazone on Cardiovascular Risk - Medscape, 4/3/06
• Insulin Sensitizers Cut Cognitive Decline in AD - Clinical Psychiatry News, 4/06 - "There is a critical relationship between insulin resistance and key aspects of brain function ... patients taking rosiglitazone performed significantly better than those taking placebo on a delayed memory task (the Buschke Selective Reminding Test)"
• Newer Diabetic Meds Cost More, But Users Have Fewer Hospital Visits - Science Daily, 3/24/06 - "Taking a TZD as instructed was the strongest predictor of a reduced risk of hospitalization and decreased healthcare costs in this group of patients ... Overall, the participants who took a TZD spent an average of $76 to $150 less per month on total healthcare costs"
• GlaxoSmithKline Announces the Approval and Availability of Avandaryl(TM) (Rosiglitazone Maleate and Glimepiride) - Doctor's Guide, 2/1/06
• Diabetes patients report drug side effects - MSNBC, 1/5/06 - "The company said it has received "very rare" reports of new or worsening diabetic macular edema in diabetic patients who have taken Avandia or Avandamet"
• An Association Between Avandia® and Avandamet® and Vision Problems in Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 12/23/05 - "reports of a specific vision problem called macular edema occurring in diabetic patients who were taking Avandia or Avandamet"
• Rosiglitazone Improves Myocardial Glucose Uptake - Medscape, 9/8/05
• Review: Metformin a Top Diabetes Drug - WebMD, 7/19/05 - "Though many of the newer drugs may promote weight gain, metformin has been associated with modest weight losses in people with type 2 diabetes"
• A Comparison of Lipid and Glycemic Effects of Pioglitazone and Rosiglitazone in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia - Medscape, 7/14/05
• Rosiglitazone Plus Insulin May Improve Glycemic Control, BP Without Increasing Insulin Needs - Medscape, 7/5/05
• Actos (Pioglitazone HCl) Significantly Improved Components of Diabetic Dyslipidemia - Doctor's Guide, 6/29/05 - "triglyceride levels decreased 12.0 percent in the Actos patients, and rose 14.9 percent in the Avandia patients"
• Diabetes Drugs May Help Fight Inflammation - WebMD, 6/20/05 - "the type 2 diabetes drugs Actos and Avandia may help fight heart disease not only by improving blood sugar but also by battling inflammation ... Carotid artery wall thickness, a measure of arteries that supply the brain and an indicator of heart disease, also improved with Actos"
• Rosiglitazone (Avandia) and Metformin Combination Lowers Blood Pressure in Type 2 Diabetics: Presented at ADA - Doctor's Guide, 6/15/05 - "24-hour ambulatory diastolic blood pressure ... -3.17 mm Hg in the rosiglitazone group ... 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure (-2.73 mm Hg with rosiglitazone-metformin"
• Rosiglitazone Appears Safe and Effective for Children With Type 2 Diabetes: Presented at ADA - Doctor's Guide, 6/15/05
• Treatment Switch from Rosiglitazone to Pioglitazone Improves Lipid Measures in Type 2 Diabetics with Dyslipidemia: Presented at ADA - Doctor's Guide, 6/14/05
• Rosiglitazone Benefits Myocardial Metabolism in Diabetic Heart Patients - Doctor's Guide, 3/7/05
• Diabetes Drug Appears to Slow Cognitive Decline - Clinical Psychiatry News, 2/05 - "subjects who received rosiglitazone remembered significantly more words than did the placebo subjects at 4 months (5.7 vs. 5.4) and 6 months"
• Avandia Prevents Blocked Stents - WebMD, 10/27/04
• Over 60 Percent of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Reach Glucose Targets With Combination of Avandia (Rosiglitazone Maleate) Plus Metformin - Doctor's Guide, 9/8/04
• Diabetes Pill Helps Early Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 7/20/04 - "the diabetes pill Avandia may improve memory and thinking in people with early Alzheimer's disease"
• Rosiglitazone Could Have Antiinflammatory Effects - Doctor's Guide, 7/1/04
• Diabetic Drug, Rosiglitazone, Treats Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Symptoms - Doctor's Guide, 6/22/04
• Diabetes Drug Helps Women with Ovary Disorder - HealthDay, 6/17/04
• Rosiglitazone May Improve Both Endothelium-dependent Vasodilatation and Insulin Sensitivity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 6/9/04
• Repaglinide Plus Rosiglitazone Improves Blood Glucose Control in Type 2 Diabetes Better than Either Agent Alone - Doctor's Guide, 3/29/04
• Rosiglitazone Prevents Post-Stenting Restenosis in Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 3/8/04
• Caution Urged With Diabetes Drugs - WebMD, 12/8/03 - "in some people, Actos and Avandia may cause fluid retention, a condition known as edema, and swelling of the feet. Edema is also a classic symptom of congestive heart failure"
• Improved Insulin Sensitivity With Rosiglitazone Improves Histologic Markers Of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis - Doctor's Guide, 10/15/03
• Hormone Therapy May Need to be Used Cautiously in Patients Taking Rosiglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 9/19/03 - "rosiglitazone reduced glucose levels from a mean of 9.15 to 7.5 mM/L; (P=0.013), insulin from 11.7 to 8.8 mU/L (P=0.026), haemoglobin A1c from 8.0% to 6.9% (P=0.001), triglycerides from 2.3 to 1.8 mM/L (P=0.009), systolic BP from 130 to 117 mm Hg (P=0.02), diastolic BP from 72 to 67 mm"
• Gemfibrozil Increases Plasma Concentrations of Rosiglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 9/10/03
• Caution Urged on Popular Diabetes Drugs - HealthDay, 9/9/03
• Pioglitazone And Rosiglitazone May Cause Heart Failure And Fluid Build-Up - Doctor's Guide, 9/9/03
• Addition of Rosiglitazone (Avandia) to Metformin Provides Multiple Benefits in Diabetics Previously on Other Metformin Combinations - Doctor's Guide, 9/4/03
• FDA Approves New Avandamet (Rosiglitazone Maleate/Metformin) Dosage Strengths For Treatment Of Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 8/27/03
• Combination Rosiglitazone/Sulfonylurea Provides Significant Advantages over a Sulfonylurea Alone in Elderly Diabetics With Inadequate Glycaemic Control - Doctor's Guide, 8/26/03
• Rosiglitazone May Improve Small Artery Elasticity in Patients With Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 8/19/03 - "Rosiglitazone increased small artery elasticity significantly, with a mean increase of up to 50% ... Systolic blood pressure decreased from 144 to 124 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure decreased from 80 to 68 mmHg"
• Gemfibrozil Contraindicated in Diabetics Patients Taking Rosiglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 8/19/03
• Rosiglitazone Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Control - Doctor's Guide, 6/20/03
• Rosiglitazone Appears to Reduce In-Stent Restenosis - Doctor's Guide, 6/16/03
• Starlix (Nateglinide) Significantly Improves Glycemic Control In Rosiglitazone Patients With Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 5/30/03
• Combination Therapy Improves Management of Obese Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 4/15/03 - "Adding rosiglitazone, an insulin-sensitising thiazolidinedione drug, to metformin, a biguanide agent, greatly enhances the management of obese type 2 diabetic patients who are inadequately controlled by metformin alone"
• Rosiglitazone Improves Cholesterol Profile in Patients with Type 2 diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 4/4/03 - "Rosiglitazone increases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) levels and improves the ratio of HDLC to total cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes ... mean HDLC levels increased 15%, from 45.3 to 51.9 mg/dL"
• Avandia Indicated in Combination with Insulin - Physician's Weekly, 3/17/03
• FDA Approves Avandia (Rosiglitazone Maleate) In Combination With Insulin For the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 3/3/03
• Rosiglitazone And Metformin Have Different Effects In Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 1/29/03
• Rosiglitazone, Pioglitazone Safe for Type 2 Diabetes , But Effect on Lipid Levels Should Be Considered - Doctor's Guide, 12/6/02
• New Study Indicates Pioglitazone HCl/Metformin Combination Therapy Enhances Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 11/7/02 - "Diabetes patients taking the insulin sensitizer pioglitazone HCl in combination with metformin experienced significantly greater improvement in triglyceride levels than patients taking rosiglitazone maleate and metformin"
• Diabetes Drugs May Help Cushing's Syndrome - Reuters Wire, 11/07/2002 - "Cushing's syndrome results from high levels of the hormone cortisol, and can cause fat accumulation in the upper body and face, and thinning of the arms and legs. Patients can experience high blood pressure and high blood sugar, along with depression, fatigue, irritability and weakened bones ... a protein called PPAR-gamma, which is found on pituitary gland tumor cells, appears to be linked to overproduction of ACTH ... researchers injected mice with ACTH-secreting pituitary tumor cells and then treated them with commonly used diabetes drugs, rosiglitazone (Avandia) and troglitazone, or an inactive placebo ... There was an 85% reduction in ACTH and a corresponding 96% reduction in their cortisol-like hormone"
• Rosiglitazone Reduces Hyperglycemia Without Causing Cardiac Side-Effects - Doctor's Guide, 11/6/02
• FDA Approves GlaxoSmithKline's Avandamet™ (rosiglitazone maleate and metformin HCl), The Latest Advancement in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 10/11/02
• Pioglitazone Has Better Effect on Lipid Profiles than Rosiglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 6/17/02
• Avandia (Rosiglitazone) Lowers Markers for Cardiovascular Inflammation in Diabetic Patients - Doctor's Guide, 6/17/02 - "rosiglitazone, a widely used insulin sensitizer, has a profound inhibitory effect on oxygen free radicals ... At week 6, blood glucose concentration decreased from 157+/-16 to 127+/-9 mg/dL and insulin concentration fell from 32.6+/-4.6 to 16.1 ... Rosiglitazone treatment also reduced plasma MCP-1 (75 percent of the basal level; p<0.05) and CRP (70 percent of basal; p<0.05)"
• Rosiglitazone Added to Glyburide/Metformin Helps Tough-to-Treat Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 6/16/02
• Rosiglitazone Ups Gly/Met Efficacy in Type 2 Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 5/6/02
• Complementary Effects of Avandia and Metformin Significantly Improved Glycemic Control in High-Risk Diabetes Patients - Doctor's Guide, 4/30/02
• Popular Type 2 Diabetes Drug Is Safe - WebMD, 4/26/02
• Actos (Pioglitazone) Shows Greater Improvement In Lipid Profiles Compared To Rosiglitazone - Doctor's Guide, 3/21/02
• Avandia (Rosiglitazone) Reduced Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease in Type 2 Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 11/13/01
• Rosiglitazone's Mode Of Action In Glycemic Control Clarified - Doctor's Guide, 9/13/01
• Rosiglitazone Improves Insulin Sensitivity And Blood Pressure In Patients With Impaired Glucose Tolerance - Doctor's Guide, 9/11/01
• Avandia May Reduce Cardiovascular Risk By Targeting Fundamental Cause Of Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 6/25/01
• Troglitazone Drug Helps non-Diabetic Patients Lose Weight - Doctor's Guide, 6/20/01
• Combination Therapy Effective In Massively Obese Type 2 Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 4/5/01
• U.S. says some SmithKline Avandia claims misleading - CNN, 11/1/00
• Avandia (Rosiglitazone) Provides Combination Option For Inadequately Controlled Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 9/18/00
• Avandia Positively Impacts On Factors Linked With Insulin Resistance - Doctor's Guide, 9/18/00 - "Increased deposits of fat around the internal organs and in the liver are commonly associated with insulin resistance and are found in many type 2 diabetes patients ... Avandia helps prevent accumulation of fat around the internal organs and significantly reduces hepatic fat"
• Avandia (Rosiglitazone Maleate) Effective In Long-Term Blood Sugar Control In Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 6/21/00 - "the researchers noticed that improvements in blood sugar control seen with Avandia were associated with an increase in high-density lipoproteins (HDL)-cholesterol, and an initial increase in low-density lipoproteins (LDL)-cholesterol, returning to baseline overtime"
• Avandia (Rosiglitazone Maleate) Effective For Type 2 Diabetes, Non-Toxic To The Liver - Doctor's Guide, 6/13/00
• Avandia May Slow Type 2 Diabetes Progression - Doctor's Guide, 6/11/00
• Avandia (Rosiglitazone Maleate) May Slow Type 2 Diabetes Progression - Doctor's Guide, 6/9/00
• Avandia (Rosiglitazone) And Glucophage (Metformin) Combo May Slow Type 2 Diabetes Progression - Doctor's Guide, 4/5/00
• FDA Approves Avandia (Rosiglitazone) In Combo Therapy For Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 4/4/00
• Endocrinologists Caution Against Misinterpretations Of Reports Concerning Avandia - Doctor's Guide, 1/28/00
• Pioglitazone Causes Few, If Any, Drug Interactions - Doctor's Guide, 9/29/99 - "Whereas rosiglitazone (Avandia, SmithKline Beecham) and troglitazone (Rezulin, Parke-Davis) both increase low density lipoproteins by up to 20 percent, pioglitazone increases it by a more modest 1-4 percent"
• Rosiglitazone Works By Reducing Insulin Resistance - Doctor's Guide, 9/28/99
• Avandia Shows Promising Results In Combination Therapy - Doctor's Guide, 6/21/99
• Avandia Reduces Insulin Resistance, Lowers Blood Sugar - Doctor's Guide, 6/15/99 - "In patients given Avandia monotherapy, insulin resistance decreased by an average of 16 and 25 percent and the estimate of beta-cell function increased by an average of 50 and 60 percent for 4 and 8 mg/day, respectively"
• FDA Approves Avandia For Type II Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 5/26/99
• FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Avandia For Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 4/23/99

Abstracts:

• Rosiglitazone Treatment and Cardiovascular Disease in the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2015 May 11 - "Both daily doses of rosiglitazone were associated with lower risk for the primary composite CV outcome (HR 0.63; 95% CI 0.49-0.81 and HR 0.60; 95% CI 0.49-0.75, respectively) after adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. A reduction of CV death was also observed (HR 0.25, p < 0.001, for both 4 and 8 mg/day rosiglitazone), however the effect on MI was less evident for 8 mg/day and not significant for 4 mg/day"
• Synergistic effects of atorvastatin and rosiglitazone on endothelium protection in rats with dyslipidemia - Lipids Health Dis. 2014 Oct 31 - "Atorvastatin and rosiglitazone therapy had synergistic effects on endothelium protection as well as amelioration of oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction in rats with dyslipidemia" - Note:  I don't know why they did this study with rosiglitazone instead of pioglitazone which is the same class of drug.  Most people have switched to pioglitazone because some studies showed that rosiglitazone increased heart disease.  I'm not convinced that's true.
• Rosiglitazone and Outcomes for Patients with Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease in the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) Trial - Circulation. 2013 Jul 15 - "Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) trial ... 4.5 yrs of follow-up ... After multivariable adjustment, among patients treated with rosiglitazone, mortality was similar (HR 0.83; 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.18) while there was a lower adjusted incidence of composite death, MI, and stroke (hazard ratio (HR) 0.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.55 to 0.93) and stroke (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.86), and a higher incidence of fractures (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.51); the incidence of MI (HR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.54 to 1.10) and CHF (HR 1.22, 95%CI, 0.84 to 1.82) were not significantly different. Among propensity matched patients rates of major ischemic cardiovascular events and CHF were not significantly different"
• Association Between Longer Therapy With Thiazolidinediones and Risk of Bladder Cancer: A Cohort Study - J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Aug 9 - "Comparison of pioglitazone to rosiglitazone use did not demonstrate difference in cancer risk ... Long-term TZD therapy (≥5 years) in patients with type 2 diabetes may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, which may be common to all TZDs"
• Pioglitazone Improves Cardiac Function and Alters Myocardial Substrate Metabolism Without Affecting Cardiac Triglyceride Accumulation and High-Energy Phosphate Metabolism in Patients With Well-Controlled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - Circulation. 2009 Apr 6 - "were assigned to pioglitazone (30 mg/d) or metformin (2000 mg/d) and matching placebo for 24 weeks ... No patient developed heart failure. Both therapies similarly improved glycemic control, whole-body insulin sensitivity, and blood pressure. Pioglitazone versus metformin improved the early peak flow rate (P=0.047) and left ventricular compliance. Pioglitazone versus metformin increased myocardial glucose uptake (P<0.001), but pioglitazone-related diastolic improvement was not associated with changes in myocardial substrate metabolism. Metformin did not affect myocardial function but decreased cardiac work relative to pioglitazone (P=0.006), a change that was paralleled by a reduced myocardial glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation. Neither treatment affected cardiac high-energy phosphate metabolism or triglyceride content. Only pioglitazone reduced hepatic triglyceride content" - I still take pioglitazone even though I don't have diabetes because I feel that higher glucose levels are a major cause of aging.  There doesn't seem to be any evidence that it has the heart rises that rosiglitazone has.  See Pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Thiazolidinediones: effects on the development and progression of type 2 diabetes and associated vascular complications - Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2009 Feb 13;25(2):112-126 - "In 2008, an update of an American Diabetes Association-European Association for the Study of Diabetes consensus statement on initiation and adjustment of therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes advised clinicians against using rosiglitazone. Skeletal fractures have recently emerged as a side effect of both TZDs. Available data suggest that cardiovascular benefits observed with pioglitazone might not be a class effect of TZDs"
• Rosiglitazone reverses memory decline and hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor down-regulation in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Dec 22 - "An early down-regulation of GR, not related to elevated plasma corticosterone levels, was found in different hippocampal subfields of the transgenic mice and this decrease was prevented by rosiglitazone. In parallel with behavioural studies, rosiglitazone also normalized GR levels in older animals. This effect may contribute to explain the attenuation of memory decline by PPARgamma activation in an AD mouse model" - Note:  That's another reason I take rosiglitazone's competitor, pioglitazone which has less chance of causing heart problems.
• ROSIGLITAZONE AND RISK OF CANCER. A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS - Diabetes Care. 2008 Mar 28 - "The incidence of malignancies was significantly lower in rosiglitazone-treated patients than in control groups (0.23[0.19-0.26] vs. 0.44[0.34-0.58] cases/100 patient*years" - Note:  I was taking rosiglitazone when I had my neck cancer.  Maybe that's one of the things that saved me.  I've since switched to pioglitazone (as an anti-aging measure to prevent AGEs, I don't have diabetes).
• Rosiglitazone increases dendritic spine density and rescues spine loss caused by apolipoprotein E4 in primary cortical neurons - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jan 22 - "rosiglitazone significantly increased dendritic spine density in a dose-dependent manner in cultured primary cortical rat neurons. This effect was abolished by the PPAR-gamma-specific antagonist, GW9662, suggesting that rosiglitazone exerts this effect by activating the PPAR-gamma pathway. Furthermore, the C-terminal-truncated fragment of apoE4 significantly decreased dendritic spine density. Rosiglitazone rescued this detrimental effect. Thus, rosiglitazone might improve cognition in AD patients by increasing dendritic spine density"
• Prevention of Type 2 diabetes: fact or fiction? - Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2007 Dec;8(18):3147-58 - "the DREAM (Diabetes Reduction Assessment with Ramipril and Rosiglitazone Medication) study (n = 5269) demonstrated that rosiglitazone at 8 mg once/day in subjects with prediabetes (IGT and/or impaired fasting glucose) was effective in reducing the risk of diabetes by 60%"
• Thiazolidinediones: A novel class of drugs for the prevention of diabetic nephropathy? - Kidney Int. 2007 Dec;72(11):1301-1303 - "Miyazaki et al. report that rosiglitazone, a thiazolidinedione insulin sensitizer and a potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, not only effectively improves glycemic control but also halts progression of albuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients with early-stage diabetic nephropathy. These findings could offer a new prevention of diabetic nephropathy in insulin-resistant diabetic patients"
• Rosiglitazone Reduces Liver Fat and Insulin Requirements While Improving Hepatic Insulin Sensitivity And Glycemic Control In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Requiring High Insulin Doses - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Oct 23 - "During rosiglitazone, HbA1c decreased from 8.9+/-0.4% to 7.8+/-0.3% (p=0.007) and insulin requirements from 218+/-22 to 129+/-20 IU/day (p=0.002). Liver fat content decreased by 46+/-9% from 20+/-3% to 11+/-3% (p=0.0002). Hepatic insulin sensitivity, measured from the % suppression of endogenous glucose production by insulin, increased from -40+/-7% to -89+/-12% (p=0.001). The % change in liver fat correlated with the % decrease in HbA1c (r=0.53, p=0.06), insulin dose (r=0.66, p=0.014), and suppression of endogenous glucose production (r=0.76, p=0.003)"
• Comparison of Effectiveness of Rosuvastatin Versus Atorvastatin on the Achievement of Combined C-Reactive Protein (<2 mg/L) and Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (<70 mg/dl) Targets in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (from the ANDROMEDA Study) - Am J Cardiol. 2007 Oct 15;100(8):1245-1248 - "CRP was effectively decreased in patients with type 2 diabetes receiving rosuvastatin or atorvastatin, whereas rosuvastatin decreased LDL cholesterol significantly more than atorvastatin"
• Congestive heart failure and cardiovascular death in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes given thiazolidinediones: a meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials - Lancet. 2007 Sep 29;370(9593):1129-36 - "Compared with controls, patients given TZDs had increased risk for development of congestive heart failure across a wide background of cardiac risk (relative risk [RR] 1.72, 95% CI 1.21-2.42, p=0.002). By contrast, the risk of cardiovascular death was not increased with either of the two TZDs (0.93, 0.67-1.29, p=0.68) ... Congestive heart failure in patients given TZDs might not carry the risk that is usually associated with congestive heart failure which is caused by progressive systolic or diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle"
• Rationale for the use of insulin sensitizers to prevent cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes mellitus - Am J Med. 2007 Sep;120(9 Suppl 2):S18-25 - "TZDs, acting via the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, affect a number of mediators involved in the development of the cardiovascular complications of diabetes, including lipid profiles, vascular changes, and inflammatory mediators. TZDs decrease plasminogen activator-1 and C-reactive protein levels. They also reduce the extent of thickening of the carotid artery and reduce hyperplasia after coronary stent implantation. Insulin-sensitizing therapy with TZDs is a promising intervention for patients with diabetes at risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes"
• The cardiovascular effects of the thiazolidinediones: a review of the clinical data - J Diabetes Complications. 2007 Sep-Oct;21(5):326-34 - "Beyond glycemic control, the thiazolidinediones (TZDs) provide numerous cardiovascular benefits. Clinical data support a role for the TZDs in lowering blood pressure, correcting dyslipidemia, improving vascular structure and function, decreasing inflammation, improving the adipokine profile, reducing systemic oxidative stress, and possibly in stabilizing coronary plaques that may be prone to rupture ... Reported side effects of the TZDs include fluid retention, worsening of heart failure, and weight gain"
• Rosiglitazone decreases albuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients - Kidney Int. 2007 Sep 5 - "The percentage decrease in albuminuria correlated with the decrease in fasting plasma glucose ... Our study indicates that thiazolidinediones may be useful to prevent nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients"
• Effect of long-term treatment with rosiglitazone on arterial elasticity and metabolic parameters in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 2-year follow-up study - Diabet Med. 2007 Aug 24 - "In patients treated with rosiglitazone for 2 years: the large artery elasticity index (LAEI) increased from 10.0 +/- 4.6 to 13.9 +/- 4.7 ml/mmHg x 100 after 2 years (P = 0.003). The small artery elasticity (SAEI) index increased significantly from 3.2 +/- 1.2 to 5.1 +/- 1.9 (P < 0.0001). In patients who discontinued rosiglitazone: LAEI did not change after 6 months, but decreased from 12.1 +/- 5.4 to 8.9 +/- 3.9 ml/mmHg x 10 (P < 0.0001) at the end of 2 years. SAEI increased during the first 6 months of treatment, from 3.9 +/- 1.8 to 5.1 +/- 1.5 ml/mmHg x 100 (P < 0.0001) and decreased after discontinuation of rosiglitazone (P = 0.042)"
• Effects of pioglitazone on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 Sep;9(5):640-7 - "In the monotherapy setting, pioglitazone has been associated with greater decreases in TGs and increases in HDL-C when compared with glibenclamide or metformin. Studies investigating the effects of pioglitazone add-on therapy to either metformin or sulphonylurea treatments have shown sustained improvements in serum levels of TGs and HDL-C and favourable effects on LDL-C particle size. In comparison with rosiglitazone, pioglitazone has different and potentially favourable effects on plasma lipids. The recent PROspective pioglitAzone Clinical Trial In macroVascular Events study has given weight to the hypothesis that the beneficial metabolic effects of pioglitazone may be associated with reductions in cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes" - Note:  When I switched from pioglitazone to rosiglitazone, my HDL when from 57 to 47.  I'm switching back when I run out of rosiglitazone.  I've been taking them to prevent diabetes.
• Effects of thiazolidinediones on blood pressure - Curr Hypertens Rep. 2007 Aug;9(4):332-7 - "The magnitude of reduction appears to be about 4 to 5 mm Hg in systolic and 2 to 4 mm Hg in diastolic BP-sufficient to significantly reduce subsequent cardiovascular event rates"
• Thiazolidinedione increases serum soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products in type 2 diabetes - Diabetologia. 2007 Jul 18 - "At 6 months, both rosiglitazone and sulfonylurea resulted in a significant reduction in HbA(1c), fasting glucose and AGE"
• Rosiglitazone reduces office and diastolic ambulatory blood pressure following 1-year treatment in non-diabetic subjects with insulin resistance - Blood Press. 2007;16(2):95-100 - "After 1 year, the office BP decreased by -3.1 mmHg systolic (p<0.05) and -3.8 mmHg diastolic (p<0.001) in the RSG group versus placebo"
• The impact of thiazolidinedione use on outcomes in ambulatory patients with diabetes mellitus and heart failure - J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Jul 3;50(1):32-6 - "In ambulatory patients with established HF and diabetes, the use of TZDs was not associated with an increased risk of HF hospitalization or total mortality when compared with those not receiving insulin-sensitizing medications"
• Pioglitazone and Rosiglitazone Have Different Effects on Serum Lipoprotein Particle Concentrations and Sizes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia - Diabetes Care. 2007 Jun 26 - "PIO-treatment increased total VLDL particle concentration less than ROSI-treatment and decreased VLDL particle size more than ROSI. PIO-treatment reduced total LDL particle concentration whereas ROSI-treatment increased it. Both treatments increased LDL particle size, with PIO-treatment having a greater effect. Whereas PIO-treatment increased total HDL particle concentration and size, ROSI-treatment decreased them; both increased HDL cholesterol levels"
• Rosiglitazone decreases 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in subcutaneous adipose tissue - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2007 Jun 6 - "Part of the beneficial effects of rosiglitazone may be mediated by a reduction in the 11beta-HSD1 mRNA expression and activity in subcutaneous abdominal fat"
• Treating the metabolic syndrome - Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2007 May;5(3):491-506 - "appropriate treatment of MS components often requires pharmacologic intervention with insulin-sensitizing agents, such as metformin and thiazolidinediones, while statins and fibrates, or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers are the first-line lipid-modifying or antihypertensive drugs"
• Rosiglitazone RECORD study: glucose control outcomes at 18 months - Diabet Med. 2007 May 22 - "In people with diabetes, rosiglitazone in combination with metformin or sulphonylurea was demonstrated to be non-inferior to the standard combination of metformin + sulphonylurea in lowering HbA(1c) over 18 months, and produces greater improvements in C-reactive protein and basal insulin sensitivity but is also associated with greater weight gain"
• Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes - NEJM, 5/21/07 - "the rosiglitazone group, as compared with the control group, the odds ratio for myocardial infarction was 1.43 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.98; P=0.03), and the odds ratio for death from cardiovascular causes was 1.64" - Note:  I was taking this along with metformin for anti-aging.  See Insulin and Aging and Advanced Glycation End Products.  I might switch back to Actos.  The trouble is that Avandia (rosiglitazone) significantly lowers cortisol in some people.  It has also been shown to reduce the chances of diabetes by 62% and reduce the chances of Alzheimer's.  I haven't seen any studies on Actos (pioglitazone) in these areas.  Avandia did reduce my HDL from 57 to 47 as opposed to Actos.  A ten point drop for most people might be the reason for the results of this study by I still have plenty of HDL.
• Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes - N Engl J Med. 2007 May 21
• Rosiglitazone prevents free fatty acid-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 May 1 - "Rosiglitazone mitigates the increase in FFA after infusion of triglyceride/heparin and prevents FFA-induced endothelial dysfunction"
• A randomized, placebo-controlled trial assessing the effects of rosiglitazone on echocardiographic function and cardiac status in type 2 diabetic patients with New York Heart Association Functional Class I or II Heart Failure - J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Apr 24;49(16):1696-704 - "After 52 weeks of treatment, RSG improved glycemic control but did not adversely affect LVEF in patients with T2DM and NYHA functional class I to II CHF"
• Thiazolidinediones and the risk of lung, prostate, and colon cancer in patients with diabetes - J Clin Oncol. 2007 Apr 20;25(12):1476-81 - "We observed a 33% reduction in lung cancer risk among TZD users compared with nonusers after adjusting for confounder interactions ... The risk reduction for colorectal and prostate cancers did not reach statistical significance"
• Rosiglitazone is more effective than metformin in improving fasting indexes of glucose metabolism in severely obese, non-diabetic patients - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 Mar 29 - "Our study shows that in severely obese, non-diabetic, hyperinsulinaemic patients undergoing a nutritional programme, rosiglitazone is more effective than metformin in producing favourable changes in fasting-based indexes of glucose metabolism, with a reduction of both insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia. In spite of previous studies reporting rosiglitazone-induced body weight gain, in our study the joint treatment with diet and rosiglitazone was accompanied by weight loss and fat mass reduction"
• Thiazolidinediones and vascular damage - Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity. 14(2):108-115, April 2007 - "The thiazolidinedione class improves endothelial vasomotion, inhibits inflammatory and procoagulant processes and has powerful antiproliferative and antioxidant effects. Experimentally these agents retard atherosclerosis development in predisposed animals. Clinical studies demonstrate that they increase HDL cholesterol and LDL size, and may lower triglyceride levels. They modestly lower blood pressure, reduce microalbuminuria, arterial stiffness and reduce carotid wall thickening. These effects are generally independent of glucose lowering and in many instances have been shown to occur in nondiabetic subjects"
• Effects of metformin or rosiglitazone on serum concentrations of homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B(12) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus - J Diabetes Complications. 2007 Mar-Apr;21(2):118-23 - "In patients with type 2 diabetes, metformin reduces levels of folate and vitamin B(12) and increases Hcy. Conversely, rosiglitazone decreases Hcy levels in this time period"
• A randomized trial of the effects of rosiglitazone and metformin on inflammation and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes - Am Heart J. 2007 Mar;153(3):445.e1-6 - "Metformin and rosiglitazone treatment led to similar significant improvements in glycemic control (HbA(1c) -1.08% in the rosiglitazone group and -1.18% in the metformin group, P = nonsignificant). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels decreased by an average of 68% in the rosiglitazone group (5.99 +/- 0.88 to 1.91 +/- 0.28 mg/L, P < .001), compared with a nonsignificant 4% reduction in hsCRP with metformin"
• Rosiglitazone treatment increases plasma levels of adiponectin and decreases levels of resistin in overweight women with PCOS: a randomized placebo-controlled study -- Majuri et al. 156 (2): 263 -- European Journal of Endocrinology - European Journal of Endocrinology, Vol 156, Issue 2, 263-269 - "Rosiglitazone had beneficial effects on serum levels of adiponectin and resistin, suggesting that these adipocytokines may contribute to the improvement in insulin sensitivity observed during the treatment"
• Effect of rosiglitazone on factors related to endothelial dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus - Atherosclerosis. 2007 Feb 2 - "These data support the hypothesis that, in patients with T2DM, rosiglitazone has beneficial effects on biological markers of endothelial dysfunction. Improvements in insulin sensitivity and decreases in FFAs may play a role in these effects"
• Metabolic effects of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone in patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome treated with metformin - Intern Med J. 2007 Feb;37(2):79-86 - "Significant total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A-I, and apolipoprotein B improvement was observed in pioglitazone group after 12 months, but not in the rosiglitazone group"
• Effects of rosiglitazone and metformin on inflammatory markers and adipokines: decrease in interleukin-18 is an independent factor for the improvement of homeostasis model assessment-beta in type 2 diabetes mellitus - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2007 Feb;66(2):282-9 - "Rosiglitazone, but not metformin, improved the plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers and adipokines in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus"
• Effect of PPAR-gamma agonist on adiponectin levels in the metabolic syndrome: lessons from the high fructose fed rat model - Am J Hypertens. 2007 Feb;20(2):206-10 - "rosiglitazone increased plasma levels of adiponectin fourfold from 4.3 +/- 0.1 to 18.4"
• A one-year study comparing the efficacy and safety of rosiglitazone and glibenclamide in the treatment of type 2 diabetes - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2007 Jan;17(1):13-23 - "The efficacy of rosiglitazone 8 mg/d in improving glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes is comparable to that of glibenclamide. However, rosiglitazone reduced insulin resistance and proinsulin levels whereas glibenclamide use was associated with an increase in fasting insulin and proinsulin. This suggests that in the long term, rosiglitazone may protect the beta-cell whereas glibenclamide is likely to increase the burden"
• Thiazolidinediones for Initial Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes? - NEJM, 12/7/06 - "Given the modest glycemic benefit of rosiglitazone (with the risk of fluid retention and weight gain) and higher cost (including the need for more statins and diuretics), metformin remains the logical choice when initiating pharmacotherapy for type 2 diabetes"
• Effects of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone combined with metformin on the prothrombotic state of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome - J Int Med Res. 2006 Sep-Oct;34(5):545-55 - "In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome, the combination of metformin plus thiazolidinediones improved glycaemic control and produced a slight but significant reduction in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels"
• Glycemic Durability of Rosiglitazone, Metformin, or Glyburide Monotherapy - N Engl J Med. 2006 Dec 4- "Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a cumulative incidence of monotherapy failure at 5 years of 15% with rosiglitazone, 21% with metformin, and 34% with glyburide. This represents a risk reduction of 32% for rosiglitazone, as compared with metformin, and 63%, as compared with glyburide (P<0.001 for both comparisons). The difference in the durability of the treatment effect was greater between rosiglitazone and glyburide than between rosiglitazone and metformin. Glyburide was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events (including congestive heart failure) than was rosiglitazone (P<0.05), and the risk associated with metformin was similar to that with rosiglitazone. Rosiglitazone was associated with more weight gain and edema than either metformin or glyburide but with fewer gastrointestinal events than metformin and with less hypoglycemia than glyburide"
• Reductions in biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes with rosiglitazone added to metformin compared with dose escalation of metformin: an EMPIRE trial sub-study - Curr Med Res Opin. 2006 Sep;22(9):1715-23 - "These results suggest that rosiglitazone plus metformin has positive cardiovascular effects against a background of similar glycemic improvements"
• Improvement in glycaemic control with rosiglitazone/metformin fixed-dose combination therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes with very poor glycaemic control - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2006 Nov;8(6):643-649 - "Unless tolerability issues arose, eligible patients initiated RSG/MET 4 mg/1000 mg fixed-dose combination therapy and were up-titrated in increments of 2 mg/500 mg at 4-week intervals to a daily dose of 8 mg/2000 mg or the maximum tolerated dose ... At week 24, clinically significant mean reduction in A1c from 11.8 to 7.8% (mean reduction, 4.0 +/- 2.2%; p < 0.0001) and mean FPG reduction from 16.9 to 9.2 mmol/l (mean reduction, 7.7 +/- 4.4 mmol/l; p < 0.0001) were observed"
• The long-term effects of rosiglitazone on serum lipid concentrations and body weight - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2006 Oct;65(4):453-9 - "TC levels remained significantly higher at 18 months than those at baseline ... HDL-C and body weight increased and remained elevated for the duration of the study. There was an initial increase in LDL-C but this attenuated and by the end of the study was not significantly elevated above baseline levels"
• Rosiglitazone reduces microalbuminuria and blood pressure independently of glycemia in type 2 diabetes patients with microalbuminuria - J Hypertens. 2006 Oct;24(10):2047-2055 - "Rosiglitazone plus metformin reduced both mean 24-h systolic (-3.4 mmHg; P = 0.01) and diastolic (-2.5 mmHg; P < 0.01) ambulatory blood pressure compared with glyburide plus metformin"
• Paradoxically Decreased HDL-Cholesterol Levels Associated with Rosiglitazone Therapy (September) - Ann Pharmacother. 2006 Aug 15 - "Rosiglitazone is associated with a paradoxical decrease in HDL-C levels in patients with type 2 diabetes"
• Metformin-pioglitazone and metformin-rosiglitazone effects on non-conventional cardiovascular risk factors plasma level in type 2 diabetic patients with metabolic syndrome - J Clin Pharm Ther. 2006 Aug;31(4):375-83 - "Significant TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG improvement was present in the pioglitazone group at 12 months compared with the baseline values, and these variations were significantly different between groups. No TC, LDL-C, TG improvement was present in the rosiglitazone group after 12 months. Significant Lp(a) and HCT improvement was present in the pioglitazone group at 12 months compared with the baseline values, and Lp(a) change was significant compared with the rosiglitazone group. Significant HCT decrease was observed in the rosiglitazone group at the end of the study"
• Low Dose Rosiglitazone Exerts an Anti-inflammatory Effect with an Increase in Adiponectin Independently of Free Fatty Acid (FFA) Fall and Insulin Sensitization in Obese Type 2 Diabetics - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Jun 27 - "A low dose of rosiglitazone exerts an early and potent anti-inflammatory effect"
• Endocrine and metabolic effects of rosiglitazone in overweight women with PCOS: a randomized placebo-controlled study - Hum Reprod. 2006 Jun;21(6):1400-7 - "Rosiglitazone, by improving menstrual cyclicity, hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia, represents an alternative treatment for overweight anovulatory women with PCOS and no pregnancy desire"
• Effect of rosiglitazone on endothelial function and inflammatory markers in patients with the metabolic syndrome - Diabetes Care. 2006 May;29(5):1071-6 - "After 12 months, subjects with the metabolic syndrome receiving rosiglitazone showed improved flow-mediated vasodilation (4.2%, P < 0.001) and reduced hs-CRP levels (-0.7 mg/dl, P = 0.04), compared with the placebo group. Moreover, HOMA (-0.8, P = 0.01) and serum concentrations of IL-6 (-0.5 pg/ml, P = 0.045) and IL-18 (-31 pg/ml, P = 0.036) were significantly reduced in subjects receiving rosiglitazone, whereas adiponectin levels showed a significant increment (2.3 mug/ml, P = 0.02). High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels increased more and triglyceride levels decreased more in the rosiglitazone group compared with the placebo group. At 1 year of follow-up, 30 subjects receiving rosiglitazone still had features of the metabolic syndrome, compared with 45 subjects receiving placebo"
• Insulin resistance - a common link between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2006 May;8(3):237-249 - "In addition to lifestyle changes, PPARgamma agonists such as thiazolidinediones are frequently beneficial and have been shown to ameliorate insulin resistance, while activation of PPARalpha (e.g. by fibrates) can lead to improvements in free fatty acid oxidation and lipid profile, and a reduction in cardiovascular events. The development of agents with both PPARalpha and PPARgamma activity promises added benefits with amelioration of insulin resistance, delayed progression to and of type 2 diabetes and a reduction of CVD"
• Do thiazolidinediones cause heart failure? A critical review - Cleve Clin J Med. 2006 Apr;73(4):390-7 - "TZDs, ie, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone ... Although fluid retention is a worrisome side effect of TZDs, current evidence does not link fluid retention caused by TZDs with worsening heart function"
• Thiazolidinedione (TZD) Use and Bone Loss in Older Diabetic Adults - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Apr 11 - "each year of TZD use was associated with greater bone loss at the whole body (additional loss of -0.61% per year; 95% CI: -1.02, -0.21% per year), lumbar spine (-1.23% per year; 95% CI: -2.06, -0.40% per year), and trochanter (-0.65% per year; 95% CI: -1.18, -0.12% per year) in women, but not men, with diabetes"
• Thiazolidinedione effects on blood pressure in diabetic patients with metabolic syndrome treated with glimepiride - Hypertens Res. 2005 Nov;28(11):917-24 - "the association of a thiazolinedione to the glimepiride treatment of type 2 diabetic subjects with metabolic syndrome is associated to a significant improvement in the long-term blood pressure control, related to a reduction in insulin-resistance"
• The impact of rosiglitazone on cardiovascular responses and endurance during isometric exercise in patients with Type 2 Diabetes - Med Sci Monit. 2005 Dec 19;12(1):CR21-26 - "Microcirculatory damage in diabetes impairs exercise performance and recovery and can be partially reversed after rosiglitazone administration"
• Effects of rosiglitazone added to submaximal doses of metformin compared with dose escalation of metformin in type 2 diabetes: the EMPIRE Study - Curr Med Res Opin. 2005 Dec;21(12):2029-35 - "This study suggests that addition of RSG to submaximal doses of MET may be a suitable alternative to the maximal effective dose of MET monotherapy"
• Rosiglitazone Improves Exercise Capacity in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes Care. 2005 Dec;28(12):2877-2883 - "This is the first known report showing that a TZD improved exercise function in type 2 diabetes"
• Cardiovascular effects of the thiazolidinediones - Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2005 Sep 26 - "thiazolidinediones have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system independent of their antidiabetic effect. Studies in animals have clearly shown that thiazolidinediones decrease blood pressure, left ventricular hypertrophy, development of atherosclerotic lesions, and protect myocardium from ischemia/reperfusion injury"
• Rosiglitazone reduces insulin requirement and C-reactive protein levels in type 2 diabetic patients receiving peritoneal dialysis - Am J Kidney Dis. 2005 Oct;46(4):713-9 - "the RSG group also had significantly lower CRP levels than the control group (2.21 versus 8.59 mg/L"
• Rosiglitazone plus metformin is effective and well tolerated in clinical practice: results from large observational studies in people with type 2 diabetes - Int J Clin Pract. 2005 Oct;59(10):1131-6 - "Addition of RSG to MET significantly reduced median HbA(1c) by 1.3% (8.1 vs. 6.8%; p < 0.0001) and median fasting blood glucose (FBG) by 47.0 mg/dl (171.0 vs. 124.0 mg/dl; p < 0.0001) after 6 months ... Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 7 and 3 mmHg, respectively (p < 0.0001). Mean weight decreased by 1.7 kg"
• Rosiglitazone effects on blood pressure and metabolic parameters in nondipper diabetic patients - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2005 Oct;70(1):20-5 - "a significant reduction of systolic and diastolic BP values both during the day and night"
• The effect of the PPARgamma ligand rosiglitazone on energy balance regulation - Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2005 Aug 19 - "During treatment with rosiglitazone, significantly more fat storage was seen in overweight subjects while this was not the case in the placebo group"
• Pharmacologic management of Cushing syndrome : new targets for therapy - Treat Endocrinol. 2005;4(2):87-94 - "Interesting new avenues at the pituitary level involve the potential use of thiazolidinedione compounds, such as rosiglitazone"
• Effects of chronic administration of PPAR-gamma ligand rosiglitazone in Cushing's disease - Eur J Endocrinol. 2004 Aug;151(2):173-8 - "The administration of rosiglitazone seems able to normalize cortisol secretion in some patients with CD, at least for short periods"
• Reduced production rates of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in healthy men treated with rosiglitazone - Metabolism. 2003 Feb;52(2):230-2 - "Production rates of cortisol were unchanged ... a clinically relevant dose of at least one thiazolidindione, rosiglitazone, impedes the production of testosterone in man"
• Effect of rosiglitazone on insulin sensitivity and body composition in type 2 diabetic patients - Obes Res. 2002 Oct;10(10):1008-15 - "RSG increased subcutaneous fat area by 8% (25.0 +/- 28.7 cm(2), p = 0.02), did not alter intra-abdominal fat area, and reduced intrahepatic fat levels by 45% ... RSG greatly improves insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes and is associated with an increase in adiposity in subcutaneous but not visceral body regions"
• Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ligands inhibit adipocyte 11beta -hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 expression and activity - J Biol Chem. 2001 Apr 20;276(16):12629-35. Epub 2001 Jan 22 - "treatment of diabetic db/db mice with rosiglitazone inhibited expression of 11beta-HSD-1 in adipose tissue. This decrease in enzyme expression correlated with a significant decline in plasma corticosterone levels. In sum, these data indicate that some of the beneficial effects of PPARgamma antidiabetic agents may result, at least in part, from the down-regulation of 11beta-HSD-1 expression in adipose tissue"