Diabetes Care

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) found that diabetics hospitalized for non-critical illnesses who develop hypoglycemia during hospitalization have an increased likelihood of remaining hospitalized longer and a greater risk of mortality both during and after hospitalization. This research appears in the July 2009 issue of Diabetes Care.

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) today released a statement updating its position on Sanofi-Aventis' diabetes treatment drug Lantus. EMEA looked at four studies related to Lantus. Two of these studies found an association with breast cancer. Chris Viehbacher, the CEO of Sanofi-Aventis, today mounted to defend Lantus in the face of investors and the financial community.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals has received a request from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for additional safety studies on SYR-322, also known by the general name alogliptin, used for diabetes treatment. This will most likely delay the drug's launch in the U.S. market by at least two years while more research is done.

Takeda has its North American headquarters in Illinois. The company holds the patent for top-selling drug, Actos. The patent is due to expire in 2011.

In a press release June 13th, Novo Nordisk Inc reported that three lots of insulin which was stolen in North Carolina has resurfaced recently at a medical center in Houston. The three lots of 10 millileter vials of insulin in question were marketed under the brand name Levemir(R). The lot numbers are: XZF0036, XZF0037, XZF0038.

Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System are reporting remarkable results from their pilot clinical study of the artificial pancreas, a computerized, subcutaneous system that could one day revolutionize the way Type 1 diabetics manage their disease.

Income appears to play a crucial role in how often diabetes patients on insulin check their daily blood glucose levels, and low-income minorities check less often than others, a new research study finds.

The study, which appears in the latest issue of the journal Ethnicity & Disease, shows that Hispanics and African-Americans with insulin-treated diabetes performed daily self-monitoring of blood glucose less frequently than whites, and that Hispanics receive less diabetes education.

There is no difference in mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes and stable heart disease who received prompt bypass surgery or angioplasty compared to drug therapy alone, according to a landmark study focused exclusively on patients with both conditions.

To reduce their cardiovascular risk, people with type 2 diabetes should do at least two-and-a-half hours per week of moderate-intensity or one-and-a-half hours per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercises, plus some weight training, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The results of a study designed to reflect how physicians might confront diabetes treatment decisions in practice has been presented at the American Diabetes Association 69th Scientific Sessions and published online on 7 June in the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM. The international landmark study found that death rates for patients with both type 2 diabetes and heart disease was the same whether they received drugs or had prompt surgery or angioplasty.

Emory University researchers say that routine diabetes tests will save more in health spending than the cost of screening. According to estimates, 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes, or insulin resistance, and 5.7 million Americans do not know they are diabetic. Screening for diabetes is suggested as a means to curb health spending. Early diagnosis and intervention would save money from the associated costs of treating diabetes complications.