Pioglitazone, a drug used for glycemic control in diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) has been linked to increased risk of bladder cancer for a prolonged use. The study was published in renowned British Medical Journal (BMJ) which also compared pioglitazone with rosiglitazone. This article provides a synopsis of this study. Pioglitazone, thiazolidinedione class antidiabetic drug has been used to improve glycemic control in DM2 patients. It is used alone or in combination with a sulphonylurea, metformin or insulin.
Initially thought to be safe, pioglitazone grabbed some headlines when a study associated it with the increased risk of bladder tumors in 2005. After that study, few countries have put restrictions on pioglitazone. The new study published in BMJ confirms the hypothesis of 2005 study. The latest study was designed as population based cohort study, which included 1,45,806 patients…
