A meta-analysis on treatment effects of thiazolidinediones for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian populations.

AIM to assess the effects of thiazolidinediones (pioglitazone and rosiglitazone) in the treatment of T2DM in Asian population. METHODS randomized controlled trials of T2DM patients in Asian population that compared pioglitazone or rosiglitazone with other treatments for more than 3 months and reported HbA1c data were included. Analyses for all outcomes were calculated using random effect model. RESULTS the analyses included 37 studies in approximately 3,000 patients. Thiazolidinediones had beneficial effect on HbA1c (glycosylated hemoglobin/hemoglobin A1c) compared with control (weighted mean difference (WMD) -0.12%; 95% CI [confidence interval], -0.54 to -0.19% for pioglitazone and -0.47%; 95% CI, -0.89 to -0.40% for rosiglitazone). Overall, TZDs showed significant benefit on glycemic outcomes measured by HbA1c as main surrogate outcome compared with previous glycemic control but not with other anti-diabetics. CONCLUSION thiazolidinediones treatment resulted in favorable effects on glycemic control in Asian patients with T2DM. Long-term efficacy and safety data of TZD could not yet be confirmed due to the lack of randomized studies with patient-oriented outcomes.