London: A drug used to treat diabetes also seems to prevent it in people at high risk of developing the disease, the largest study ever to test this has found.
The drug, rosiglitazone, or Avandia, appeared to cut the risk of developing diabetes or dying by more than half, in the study. It also helped restore normal blood-sugar function in many participants.
A second part of the study found that a different drug, a blood pressure medication called ramipril, or Altace, made no difference in the risk of developing diabetes but helped normalize blood sugar for some.
The research was long-awaited, and the Avandia results at first glance seem impressive but experts say it is difficult to determine how much impact the drug had, because study volunteers also were regularly counseled about healthy diets and lifestyles.
"We know that lifestyle changes alone can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to 58 per cent," said medical director of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Dr Martin Abrahamson, who had no ties to the study.
Those benefits come without the $ 100-a-month cost and side effects of Avandia, said director of diabetes research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr Alvin Powers, who also had no role in the research.
He noted that a small percentage of those on Avandia developed heart failure.
Type 2 diabetes, the most common form and the type that is linked with obesity, is a growing problem worldwide.
An estimated 220 million people around the world have the disease, which can lead to kidney failure, amputations and death.
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