Which medication is known as Actos and is primarily used for treating diabetes?

Pioglitazone, commonly known by its brand name Actos, is primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes. It belongs to a class of medications called thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which work by increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin, thereby helping to control blood sugar levels more effectively. This medication is often prescribed when other treatments, such as metformin or sulfonylureas, are not sufficient to manage diabetes on their own. Pioglitazone has been shown to improve glycemic control and can also have beneficial effects on lipid profiles.

The other medications listed, while also used for diabetes treatment, belong to different classes and do not hold the same mechanism of action as pioglitazone. Glipizide is a sulfonylurea that stimulates insulin secretion from the pancreas, metformin is a biguanide that primarily decreases glucose production in the liver, and tolbutamide is another sulfonylurea with a similar action to glipizide. However, it is pioglitazone that is specifically recognized as Actos in the pharmaceutical market, making it the correct choice for this question.