Statins have been used as cholesterol-lowering drugs to prevent heart attacks and strokes although trials of statins have produced conflicting results.
A new report based on a meta-analysis of 13 randomised controlled trials of statins between 1994 and 2009 involving 91,000 patients showed that there was a clear link between statin treatment and a small but significant increased risk of diabetes - 9% increase over 4 years in those using the drug than those without the treatment. The researchers said that the risk is very low and outweighed by the benefits of this drug and concluded that patients with moderate or high cardiovascular risk should not stop taking this drug.
Critics say this is a well-conducted review, when all the results were combined into a meta-analysis, the diabetes risk was relatively small, however various unidentified cofounding factors may have affected the observed results. The study was published in The Lancet online.
Source: "Statins and risk of incident diabetes: a collaborative meta-analysis of randomised statin trials". The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 17 February 2010
Showing posts with label meta-analysis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meta-analysis. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Calmer approach to Avandia : The Lancet
Since the NEJM paper ( see posting on 25 May 2007) was published on May 21, frightened diabetes patients flooded their doctors with calls, many patients have stopped taking Avandia or switched to a rival drug Actos although some experts caution there is no urgent need for diabetes patients to stop taking Avandia.
The Lancet published an editorial online on May 23, 2007 to point out that there are important weaknesses in Nisson's meta analysis and call for "a calmer and more considered approach to the safety of Rosiglitazone" in response to the alarm raised by Dr Steven Nisson in NEJM.
According to The Lancet, the 2 most reliable studies to inform decision-making are ADOPT (published by NEJM) and DREAM (published by The Lancet). Although the results of these studies "indicate the need for more reliable information about rosiglitazone's safety", patients should calm down and wait for the results of the RECORD trial, a multi-centre study designed to monitor cardiac risk.
The Lancet published an editorial online on May 23, 2007 to point out that there are important weaknesses in Nisson's meta analysis and call for "a calmer and more considered approach to the safety of Rosiglitazone" in response to the alarm raised by Dr Steven Nisson in NEJM.
According to The Lancet, the 2 most reliable studies to inform decision-making are ADOPT (published by NEJM) and DREAM (published by The Lancet). Although the results of these studies "indicate the need for more reliable information about rosiglitazone's safety", patients should calm down and wait for the results of the RECORD trial, a multi-centre study designed to monitor cardiac risk.
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