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.