Carotid Atherosclerosis: MEtformin for Insulin ResistAnce Study
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2012-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Hypothesis: Treatment with metformin in overweight non-diabetic individuals with coronary
heart disease and on standard cardiovascular risk reducing agents including statins will have
a beneficial impact on carotid artery atherosclerosis compared to placebo.
Rationale: Once subjects have a heart attack, they remain at much higher than average risk of
another heart attack and stroke, despite the best current therapies to lower their
cholesterol and blood pressure and thin their blood. Many subjects with heart disease also
have problems metabolising (i.e. processing) sugar even if they do not have diabetes. There
is some evidence that metformin, a drug which improves sugar metabolism, decreases the risk
of future heart attacks in diabetic patients. However, whether metformin further reduces the
risk of heart disease beyond established treatments in people without diabetes is unknown.
Method: The investigators will test the ability metformin, a drug with proven safety, to slow
the progression of furring up (known as atherosclerosis) of blood vessels in non-diabetic
subjects with heart disease. This will be achieved by treating 2 groups of subjects with
metformin and placebo pills respectively. To measure atherosclerosis, the investigators will
carry out ultrasound scans of the big blood vessels in the neck at the start of the study,
after 1 year and after 1.5 years of therapy.The investigators will then be able to assess
whether metformin has had a beneficial impact.
Phase:
Phase 4
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Professor Naveed Sattar
Collaborators:
Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde