The Glaxosmithkline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals Limited is betting high on the final results of the multicentric DREAM (diabetes reduction assessment with ramipril and rosiglitazone medication) trial that is expected to be announced in December. The indication so far has been that rosiglitazone maleate (Avandia of GSK) reduces risk of progression from pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes by 62 per cent.

The DREAM study included 5269 people with pre-diabetes worldwide whose average age was 55 years. The study was conduced in 191 clinics in 21 countries worldwide and was initiated by Dr Salim Yusuf and Dr Hertzel Gerstein of the McMaster University, Hamilton Ontario, Canada. Six centres from India participated in the study providing over 650 individuals for the study.

The study aimed at determining the effect of rosiglitazone and ramipiril in pre-diabetic subjects. Participants of the study took one of the medications of a placebo over a period of three years. Among the study participants taking rosiglitazone, only 12 per cent developed diabetes compared to 26 per cent who were taking the placebo. The researchers point out that rosglitazone reduced the chance of getting diabetes by 62 per cent of those taking a placebo. It benefited all participants who were overweight. It also helped in redistribution of fat from the more harmful central areas to the peripheral areas.