(NAPSA)—People with type 2 diabetes are at an especially high risk for suffering a stroke. According to the American Diabetes Association, the risk for stroke is two to four times higher among people with diabetes than the general population and the risk of death from stroke is 2.8 times higher amongpeople with diabetes. Now there’s encouraging news for the millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes. New results from the landmark PROactive Study demonstrate that the oral anti-diabetic medication AcTos (pioglitazone HCl) not only helps maintain blood glucose levels, but has also been shown to reduce therisk of a second stroke in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes. Additional results from the analysis indicated that AcTos was associated with statistically significant reductions in the combinedrisk of cardiovascular death, heart attacks (excluding silent heart attacks) and stroke. “These latest findings are encouraging news because they found that AcTos can actually reduce the risk of repeat strokes by 47 percent,” said Dr. Robert Wilcox, M.D., professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Queen’s Medical Cen- tre, University Hospital, Nottingham, United Kingdom, and lead authorof the study. A new medication may offer numerous health benefits for people with type 2 diabetes. These findings build on earlier results from the PROactive Study, which found that Actos significantly reduced the com- bined occurrence of heart attack, stroke and death. The PROactive Study is a landmark study that showed that an oral glucose-lowering medication could substantially impact cardiovascular disease outcomes in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes. For more information about the link between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, be sure to speak with your health care provider. For complete prescribing information, visit www.actos.com. won-- eee eee eee Oo Editor’s Note: Important Safety Information Actos works by directly targeting insulin resistance, a condition in which the body does notefficiently use the insulin it produces to control blood glucose levels. ACTOS is taken once daily as an adjunct to diet and exercise, and is approved for use for type 2 diabetes as monotherapy to lower blood glucose and in combination therapy with insulin, sulfonylureas or metformin. ACTOS is not for everyone. ACTOS can cause fluid retention that may lead to or worsen heart failure, so tell your doctor if you have a history of these conditions. Talk to your doctor immediately if you experience rapid weight gain, fluid retention or shortness of breath while taking Actos. If you have moderate to severe heart failure, ACTOS is not recommended. Your doctor should perform a blood test to check for liver problems before you start ACTOS and periodically thereafter. Do not take AcTOsifyou have active liver disease. Talk to your doctor immediately if you experience nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark urine or yellowing of the skin. If you are of childbearing age, talk to your doctor before taking ACTOSas it could increase your chance of becoming pregnant. Some people taking ACTOS may experience flulike symptoms, mild to moderate swelling of legs and ankles, and anemia. When taking ACTOS with insulin or sulfonylureas, you may be at risk for low blood glucose.
