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Diabetes Drug Shows Promises as Fatty Liver Treatment

Posted: Thursday, December 07, 2006

Actos is a drug used by millions of diabetics to control their blood may be valuable in preventing a common overlooked liver problem as well.

Actos, a diabetes medication researchers thought might help to combat fatty liver disease with inflammation, a condition that causes fat pockets and scarring of this important organ.

"We know that having a fatty liver disease is something that may worsen your diabetes control, may worsen your lipids, and maybe may damage your liver," said Dr. Kenneth Cuis, an endocrinologist at Audie Murphy Veterans Hospital's General Clinical Research Center.

Fifty-five San Antonio volunteers agreed to extensive testing. They all went on diets for a moderate weight loss, received counseling from dietitians, and took a daily 45-milligram dose of Actos. The results were so encouraging, they were published in this week's "New England Journal of Medicine."

"It reduced in half the amount of fat and reduced in half the degree of inflammation," Cusi said.

This is good news for the diagnosis and treatment of fatty liver disease, an abnormality often overlooked by doctors because there wasn't an effective pharmaceutical treatment. Actos may hold promise, especially for those who are obese or diabetic.

Cusi said patients should ask their doctors if they need a workup for this often-ignored health risk, now that there's proven help for it. "These findings are very exciting, not only to us, but to the medical community, and hopefully, to patients as well," Cusi said.

Source: Diabetes In Control: Nov 28, 2006 NEJM