The blood pressure drug Altace (ramipril) was a disappointment but Avandia (rosiglitazone) produced encouraging results in the DREAM trial, a large Canadian study aimed at reducing the incidence of type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals.

Results of the DREAM (Diabetes REduction Assessment with ramipril and rosiglitazone Medication) study were unveiled at a European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Copenhagen and also appear in the Lancet medical journal.

Type 2 diabetes is closely linked to obesity, fueled by poor diet and sedentary lifestyles. Several drugs are used to treat type 2 diabetes, but none so far has been approved for prevention.

In the trial of patients with poor glucose tolerance, 5,269 adults were assigned to receive Avandia or a placebo daily for an average of 3 years.

Patients in the Avandia group were 60 percent less likely to develop the disease or die than those in the placebo group, and their risk of progressing to full diabetes was reduced by 62 percent. They were also 70 percent more likely to return to normal blood sugar levels.

Avandia patients did, however, have a small increased risk of non-fatal heart failure.

The researchers concluded that for every 1,000 people treated with Avandia for 3 years, about 144 cases of diabetes would be prevented and an extra 4 to 5 cases of heart failure would occur.

The results suggest that adding Avandia to more exercise and better eating habits substantially reduces the risk of developing diabetes, offering a novel preventive approach," the researchers concluded.

As for ramipril, the Canadian researchers said it did not reduce the risk of diabetes or death, although it did help some patients to return to normal blood sugar levels.