View an animation that shows how ACTOS works.

Turning food into energy

• When you eat, food is broken down into different products that can be used by your body.
• One of those products is glucose, or sugar, the main source of energy for the body.
• In order to process glucose into energy, the pancreas produces insulin—a hormone that allows cells to absorb glucose (sugar).
• Insulin is produced by the pancreas and is needed to let sugar into the body’s cells so it can be processed into energy.

Insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes

• For people with type 2 diabetes, the body cannot produce enough insulin to properly use the sugar in their blood. In addition, their cells lose their sensitivity to insulin—a condition known as insulin resistance.
• Because some cells, such as muscle cells, are not sensitive to insulin, they cannot absorb blood sugar for the energy they need to function.
• The body responds to this situation by signaling the pancreas to produce more insulin, causing insulin levels in the blood to become too high. This condition is known as hyperinsulinemia. Unfortunately, even this extra insulin does not allow insulin-resistant cells to absorb blood sugar.
• Eventually, the pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to compensate for insulin resistance. The cells in the liver also become insulin resistant and respond by making too much blood sugar.
• Because blood sugar is not absorbed by the cells, it stays in the blood, causing blood sugar levels to rise—a condition known as hyperglycemia.
• Over time, high levels of sugar in the blood can result in damage to parts of the body, such as the kidneys, eyes, nerves, and heart.

Reducing insulin resistance with ACTOS

• Along with healthy eating and physical activity, ACTOS works by reducing insulin resistance, which helps reduce the harmful buildup of sugar in the blood.
• ACTOS increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin. When the cells in the body are more sensitive to insulin:
• They can absorb blood sugar for the energy they need to function properly.
• The amount of sugar in the blood goes down, because the sugar is absorbed by the cells rather than remaining in the blood.

Next: Meet the ACTOS characters!

To learn more about ACTOS, please see the ACTOS Complete Prescribing Information.

Management of type 2 diabetes should also include nutritional counseling, weight reduction as needed, and exercise.

While ACTOS may provide some lipid benefits, ACTOS is not intended as a substitute for cholesterol medications.

The effect of these lipid changes on morbidity and mortality have not been determined.

Please see Important Safety Information, including warning about heart failure, below.