Diabetes delaying drug

An oral anti-diabetes drug may delay or help prevent high-risk patients from developing the illness, which affects up to 130 million people worldwide. Dr Mark Walker, of Newcastle University, England, told a diabetes conference that rosiglitazone, is effective in preventing the disease in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

Patients with IGT have higher than normal blood glucose levels. It increases their likelihood of developing diabetes. IGT also contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. "The results from this small study are extremely encouraging as they demonstrate that rosiglitazone provides significant improvements to insulin resistance, blood pressure and IGT," Dr Walker said. Increased exercise and diet can also help prevent people with IGT from developing diabetes but for elderly and disabled patients it may not be an option. "This drug therefore presents a therapeutic alternative for those patients that cannot make the necessary lifestyle changes," he said. Rosiglitazone belongs to a new class of anti-diabetes drugs called thiazolidinediones or glitazones. They target insulin resistance in people with Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, a milder but more common form of the disease.