Pioglitazone May Reduce Risks of Chronic Kidney Disease

Treatment with the drug may reduce mortality, heart attack and stroke in some kidney disease patients

THURSDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with chronic kidney disease are at greater risk of serious cardiovascular complications, and some of these risks can be reduced by treatment with pioglitazone, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Christian A. Schneider, M.D., of the University of Cologne in Germany, and colleagues conducted an analysis of data collected in the Prospective Pioglitazone Clinical Trial in Macrovascular Events (PROactive) trial. In that trial, subjects with type 2 diabetes and macrovascular disease were randomly assigned to receive pioglitazone or placebo. Primary composite end points of the present study included a variety of cardiovascular and kidney disease complications and death. Secondary composite end points included all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction and stroke.

Incidence of the primary composite end point was 27.5 percent in patients with chronic kidney disease compared to 19.6 percent in patients without. Patients with chronic kidney disease who were treated with pioglitazone were less likely to reach the secondary end point, although that association did not hold for those with better renal function.

The authors conclude that their retrospective analysis of patients with type 2 diabetes and pre-existing macrovascular disease demonstrates "a subpopulation of patients who are at even higher risk for cardiovascular disease and that pioglitazone reduces major cardiovascular end points in these patients."

This study was funded by the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company and its authors have financial relationships with various pharmaceutical companies.

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