New Drug Researched For War On Diabetes

Central Texas doctor is directing a national study on a new diabetes drug that researchers hope can prevent onset of the disease. Dr. Ralph DeFronzo, a researcher at the Texas Diabetes Institute in San Antonio, said he hopes to recruit 75 to 100 people locally for the nationwide study. Previous studies have suggested that diabetes drugs can ward off the disease in some people. However, some of the same studies also concluded that lifestyle changes, including dieting and exercise, are more effective at preventing diabetes. "We know that (lifestyle change) works, but we also know that it's very difficult for people to lose weight and go out and get exercise on a daily basis," DeFronzo, also a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, told the San Antonio Express-News in Wednesday's editions. "We know that could be very good treatment, but if people don't do it, we still have to have some drugs to prevent them from developing diabetes." The study will test the drug pioglitazone, sold under the brand name Actos. Takeda, the drug's manufacturer, is sponsoring the research. Pioglitazone is one of several drugs that can make diabetics more sensitive to the insulin that they naturally produce.