Joslin to study a diabetes pill

Building on evidence that low-level inflammation contributes to the development of Type 2 diabetes, Joslin Diabetes Center researchers are launching the first major study of an inexpensive, safe pill that they hope will be a new treatment for diabetes.

The study, which will enroll about 400 adults nationwide, will test whether taking salsalate, an anti-inflammatory drug, can reduce blood glucose levels in people whose diabetes is not under control. The drug is commonly used to treat arthritis pain.

A smaller study, whose results have yet to be published, found that the drug, taken for just four weeks, lowered glucose levels by 10 to 20 percent, according to Dr. Steven E. Shoelson, associate director of research at Joslin and a leader of the new study. In addition, the drug lowered levels of fats, or lipids, in the blood by 40 to 50 percent, he said, and reduced inflammation significantly.

"These results suggest it is as good as any other drug out there in terms of glucose lowering and lipid lowering," he said. But he cautioned that the results need to be confirmed in the larger study before doctors can say for sure that salsalate works.

The preliminary results helped persuade the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to fund the large study, which will be conducted at the Joslin and 15 other medical facilities nationwide.

"The outcome of this study has the potential for significant public health benefit," Dr. Myrlene Staten, an official of the National Institute, said in a statement. "If salsalate improves the control of Type 2 diabetes, we would have an inexpensive addition to our arsenal of drug options."

A separate study is being planned to test if the drug can prevent heart disease by reducing plaque buildup in blood vessels.

Shoelson and colleagues have already shown that obesity triggers inflammation, which disrupts the body's ability to handle insulin. That in turn leads to diabetes.

For the diabetes study, researchers are seeking diabetic adults 18 to 75 years old whose blood sugar is not well controlled and who don't take insulin. Interested volunteers can call the Joslin at 617-732-2643 or go to joslinresearch.org/PINET/ClinicalDetail.asp?clinicalSectionID=3.