Use of pioglitazone in the treatment of diabetes: effect on cardiovascular risk

Abstract

Cong Zou,1 Honglin Hu2 1Department of Endocrinology, Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Urology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, People's Republic of China Abstract: Pioglitazone and other thiazolidinediones (TZDs) initially showed great promise as unique receptor-mediated oral therapy for type 2 diabetes, but a host of serious side effects, primarily cardiovascular, have limited their utility. It is crucial at this point to perform a risk–benefit analysis to determine what role pioglitazone should play in our current treatment of type 2 diabetes and where the future of this class of drugs is headed. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the present literature. Clinical data currently available indicate that pioglitazone is an effective and generally well-tolerated treatment option for use in patients with type 2 diabetes. Pioglitazone can still reduce adverse cardiovascular risk. Keywords: pioglitazone, diabetes, cardiovascular risk