Pioglitazone versus Rosiglitazone: Effects on Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Apolipoproteins in Head-to-Head Randomized Clinical Studies

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) play an important role in regulating both glucose and lipid metabolism. Agonists for both PPARgamma and PPARgamma have been used to treat dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia, respectively. In addition to affecting glucose metabolism, PPARgamma agonists also regulate lipid metabolism. In this review, we will focus on the randomized clinical trials that directly compared the lipid effects of the thiazolidinedione class of PPARgamma agonists, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, head-to-head either as monotherapy or in combination with other lipid-altering or glucose-lowering agents.