Short answer: Pioglitazone has a half-life of about 3 to 7 hours (active metabolites 16 to 24 hours). Levels peak within 2 hours after a dose. People vary, so treat these as estimates.
Pioglitazone is a thiazolidinedione: it activates PPAR-gamma, which makes the body more sensitive to insulin. It is sold as Actos and as generic tablets for type 2 diabetes.
Also known as: Actos.
Actos and generic pioglitazone come as 15 mg, 30 mg and 45 mg tablets.
The FDA Actos label approves it, with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It starts at 15 mg or 30 mg once a day (15 mg with mild heart failure) and can go up in 15 mg steps to 45 mg once a day; the maximum is 15 mg with gemfibrozil or other strong CYP2C8 blockers.
The label carries a boxed warning: drugs in this class can cause or worsen heart failure, and it is not started in people with NYHA class III or IV heart failure. Watch for fast weight gain, shortness of breath and swelling. The label also warns about dose-related swelling (edema), more bone fractures in women (5.1% vs 2.5% on placebo in the PROactive trial), a possible higher risk of bladder cancer, and macular edema.
The FDA Actos label gives a mean half-life of 3 to 7 hours for pioglitazone and 16 to 24 hours for its active metabolites M-III and M-IV. Peak levels come within 2 hours; food delays the peak to 3 to 4 hours without changing how much is absorbed.
Numbers shown are taken from the source above. Half-life varies from person to person.
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