Twice-a-Day Dose of Type 2 Drug More Effective

Rosiglitazone (Avandia) is more effective if taken twice per day instead of once per day, according to research conducted at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

In a study published in the February issue of Diabetes Care, Lawrence S. Phillips, MD, and colleagues tested four different doses of Avandia and a placebo on 959 patients from 65 medical centers throughout the United States for a period of 26 weeks.

The study group, whose baseline HbA1c levels were 9%, showed the decreases eight to 18 weeks afterward. Those on the maximum dosage had their HbA1cs drop to 7.5%.

Also worth noting was the fact that the drug was most effective in people who had no history of having taken medication, with 25 to 40 percent of their HbA1c levels dropping to 7% or less. The same result was achieved in 13 to 25 percent of patients who had taken oral drugs before. In those who had taken a combination of oral therapies in the past, only the highest dose resulted in lowering their A1c levels.

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