A placebo-controlled, double-blind study was performed to assess the effect of 12 weeks treatment with
acipimox (250 mg three times per day) on
lipoproteins and glycaemic control in patients with
Type 2 diabetes. All patients studied had persistent hyperlipidaemia despite acceptable glycaemic control on treatment with diet alone or diet and oral hypoglycaemic agents, achieving glycosylated haemoglobin (
HbA1) of less than 10.5% but with fasting total
triglycerides greater than 2.5 mmol l-1 or total
cholesterol greater than 6.5 mmol l-1. Forty-eight patients were randomized to treatment, 21 to
acipimox and 27 to placebo; 43 completed the trial. All patients had been diabetic for at least 1 year. Total
cholesterol fell by 6% and total
triglycerides by 19% following 12 weeks of
acipimox, compared to rises in the placebo group of 1% and 16%, respectively (p less than 0.05). There were no significant differences between
acipimox and placebo in the change in
low density lipoprotein (
LDL) cholesterol,
high density lipoprotein (
HDL) cholesterol,
apolipoproteins AI, AII, or B, or in glycaemic control during the treatment period.
Acipimox is effective in reducing fasting total
cholesterol and total
triglycerides in patients with
Type 2 diabetes with acceptable
blood glucose control but persistent hyperlipidaemia.
Acipimox does not adversely affect
glucose tolerance.