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Drug

Pioglitazone

Approved · EMA
Emerging researchLate-stage developmentCooling momentum
Also known as Actoplus Met, Actos, Alogliptin-Pioglitazone, Duetact+5 more

Actoplus Met, Actos, Alogliptin-Pioglitazone, Duetact, Oseni, Pioglitazona, (±)-5-((4-(2-(5-ethyl-2-pyridinyl)ethoxy)phenyl)methyl)-2,4-thiazolidinedione, Pioglitazone Hydrochloride, Pioglitazonum.

7
Research papers
18
Active clinical trials
4
Regulatory events
Latest activity
beta

Recent clinical, regulatory, research and industry developments relating to this drug.

Pioglitazone improves HbA1c in type 2 diabetes — Very high confidence reached

Research2012-07-01Very high confidence reached · Forefront confidence

Evidence confidence

1 claim

How strongly the incorporated evidence supports specific clinical claims about this treatment. A confidence figure is a current summary of evidence strength, not a permanent verdict.

Improves HbA1c in type 2 diabetes
91%Very high confidence
Uncertainty ±4%Evidence coverage: SubstantialUpdated 5 July 2026

Confidence is very high because multiple independent trials consistently report HbA1c, with a narrow uncertainty band; publication incorporation remains limited.

Profile

Identifiers & mechanism

Canonical identifiers, marketed brand names and mechanism, resolved across RxNorm, ChEMBL and ATC.

Canonical name
Pioglitazone
Aliases & brands
Actoplus MetActosAlogliptin-PioglitazoneDuetactOseniPioglitazona(±)-5-((4-(2-(5-ethyl-2-pyridinyl)ethoxy)phenyl)methyl)-2,4-thiazolidinedionePioglitazone HydrochloridePioglitazonum
RxNorm CUI
33738
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL595
ATC codes
A10BG03
UNII
X4OV71U42S
Regulatory jurisdictions
emamhra

Regulatory timeline

4 events

The complete regulatory record, grouped by authority — approvals, safety advisories and label changes. Each authority shows its most recent events; expand one to read its full history.

Earliest approval
2000-10-13
Latest approval
2012-03-21
Authorities
EMA · MHRA
Total events
4
emaEuropean Medicines Agency· 3 events
2012-03-21Approval
Approval: Pioglitazone Accord (EMA)
Indication: Pioglitazone is indicated in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus: as monotherapy in adult patients (particularly overweight patients) inadequately controlled by diet andShow full indication

Pioglitazone is indicated in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus: as monotherapy in adult patients (particularly overweight patients) inadequately controlled by diet and exercise for whom metformin is inappropriate because of contraindications or intolerance. After initiation of therapy with pioglitazone, patients should be reviewed after 3 to 6 months to assess adequacy of response to treatment (e.g. reduction in HbA1c). In patients who fail to show an adequate response, pioglitazone should be discontinued. In light of potential risks with prolonged therapy, prescribers should confirm at subsequent routine reviews that the benefit of pioglitazone is maintained.

Evidence ↗
2012-03-15Approval
Approval: Pioglitazone Actavis (EMA)
Indication: Pioglitazone is indicated as second or third line treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus as described below: as monotherapy in adult patients (particularly overweight patients)Show full indication

Pioglitazone is indicated as second or third line treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus as described below: as monotherapy in adult patients (particularly overweight patients) inadequately controlled by diet and exercise for whom metformin is inappropriate because of contraindications or intolerance. as dual oral therapy in combination with metformin, in adult patients (particularly overweight patients) with insufficient glycaemic control despite maximal tolerated dose of monotherapy with metformin. a sulphonylurea, only in adult patients who show intolerance to metformin or for whom metformin is contraindicated, with insufficient glycaemic control despite maximal tolerated dose of monotherapy with a sulphonylurea. as triple oral therapy in combination with metformin and a sulphonylurea, in adult patients (particularly overweight patients) with insufficient glycaemic control despite dual oral therapy. Pioglitazone is also indicated for combination with insulin in type 2 diabetes mellitus adult patients with insufficient glycaemic control on insulin for whom metformin is inappropriate because of contraindications or intolerance (see section 4.4). After initiation of therapy with pioglitazone, patients should be reviewed after 3 to 6 months to assess adequacy of response to treatment (e.g. reduction in HbA1c). In patients who fail to show an adequate response, pioglitazone should be discontinued. In light of potential risks with prolonged therapy, prescribers should confirm at subsequent routine reviews that the benefit of pioglitazone is maintained (see section 4.4).

Evidence ↗
2000-10-13Approval
Approval: Actos (EMA)
Indication: Pioglitazone is indicated in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus: as monotherapy: in patients (particularly overweight patients) inadequately controlled by diet andShow full indication

Pioglitazone is indicated in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus: as monotherapy: in patients (particularly overweight patients) inadequately controlled by diet and exercise for whom metformin is inappropriate because of contraindications or intolerance; as dual oral therapy in combination with: metformin, in patients (particularly overweight patients) with insufficient glycaemic control despite maximal tolerated dose of monotherapy with metformin; a sulphonylurea, only in patients who show intolerance to metformin or for whom metformin is contraindicated, with insufficient glycaemic control despite maximal tolerated dose of monotherapy with a sulphonylurea; as triple oral therapy in combination with: metformin and a sulphonylurea, in patients (particularly overweight patients) with insufficient glycaemic control despite dual oral therapy. Pioglitazone is also indicated for combination with insulin in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients with insufficient glycaemic control on insulin for whom metformin is inappropriate because of contraindications or intolerance.

Evidence ↗
mhraMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency· 1 event
2014-12-11Safety communicationSafety
Drug Safety Update: Pioglitazone: risk of bladder cancer
Evidence ↗

Contains information from the European Medicines Agency (European Medicines Agency), © EMA, reused under CC BY 4.0.

Contains public sector information from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) licensed under the Open Government Licence (OGL v3).

Clinical trials

195 trials

The current development programme across all trial phases — status mix, phase distribution and the late-stage studies shaping the evidence base.

Development programme
CLINICALTRIALS.GOV · LIVE REGISTRY
195
registered trials across all phases
LATEST COMPLETION 2025
18
Active studies
15
Recruiting
122
Late-stage (III+)
126
Completed
51
Discontinued
PHASE DISTRIBUTIONn = 195
Early Phase 18Phase 117Phase 1 / 27Phase 241Phase 2 / 32Phase 334Phase 460Phase N / A26

Late-stage studies

Phase III+ trials still open or recently active — where late-stage evidence is being generated.

Recent completions

Trials that read out recently, adding to the completed evidence base.

Research activity

7 papers

Key research shaping understanding of this drug, combining the latest publications with the most influential evidence.

Publications over time
20092024
Most influential
Recent papers
Major research themes6
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 21Hypoglycemic Agents1Incretins1Pancreatitis1Thiazolidinediones1United States Department of Veterans Affairs1
Journals, researchers & institutions
Top journals
  • American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism1
  • Arthritis research & therapy1
  • Current medical research and opinion1
  • Schizophrenia research1
  • The Annals of pharmacotherapy1
  • The Lancet. Neurology1
Leading researchers
  • Bark N1
  • Beck GR Jr1
  • Bian A1
  • Bopp C1
  • Bouloux GF1
  • Cade WT1
  • Camalier CE1
  • Cunningham A1
Leading institutions
free-text, unnormalised
  • Division of Clinical Pharmacology1
  • Emory University1
  • Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research1
  • University of Vermont College of Medicine1
  • Vanderbilt University1
  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center1

Related drugs

1 matches

Drugs sharing diseases, protein targets and literature with this one. Ranked by graph evidence (shared targets + diseases weighted above co-mentions).

Studied across 2 of the same disease areas as Pioglitazone in the shared literature.

2 shared diseases1 shared paper
References & data sources
  • RxNorm (U.S. National Library of Medicine) — drug identity
  • ChEMBL (EMBL-EBI) & UniProt — pharmacology and targets
  • Europe PMC — research literature
  • ClinicalTrials.gov — clinical trials
  • Regulatory event sources are credited in the Regulatory Timeline above.