A Comparison of Lipid and Glycemic Effects of Pioglitazone and Rosiglitazone in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia

Abstract

In his commentary, Bell (1) presents specific criticisms of the head-to-head trial comparing the effects of rosiglitazone with pioglitazone on lipids and lipoproteins. Bell raises a concern over study recruitment (in particular the high rate of screen failures), the exclusion of patients on statin therapy, and the limited data supporting the role of hypertriglyceridemia in cardiovascular risk. By excluding patients on other glucose- and lipid-lowering medication, we were able to demonstrate that the two agents have different effects on each of the components of the lipid profile. In doing so, the differences observed could only be attributed to the active thiazolidinedione (TZD) therapy. Targets for LDL cholesterol were lowered during the active …