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Written by Justine Cadet
ATLANTA—Treating multiple blood lipids with combination drug therapy of a fibrate and a statin did not reduce the combined risk of cardiovascular disease events more than treatment with statin alone, according to the ACCORD trial presented today at the late breaking clinicals session at ACC.10. Slides»
As an initiative to curb the rise of diabetes in the U.K., the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has approved the usage of liraglutide (Victoza, Novo Nordisk) for treatment of type 2 diabetes as a triple therapy regimen; however, the agency said data do not yet provide clear evidence to recommend the drug as a stand-alone treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
In 2007, roughly 17.5 million U.S. adults were diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus, 57 million were prediabetic and a staggering 6.3 million were unaware they had diabetes and went untreated. While costs associated with the disease reached $218 billion in 2007, treatment and prevention remain scarce, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in Health Affairs.
The FDA has approved liraglutide (Victoza, Novo Nordisk) for its use as treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes.
A survey conducted by market research company Decision Resources found that 70 percent of physicians believe that additional diabetes drugs with novel mechanisms of action are needed, while 15 percent urged that additional DPP-IV inhibitors need to be developed.
The FDA has warned that sibutamine (Meridia; Abbott Laboratories), a drug used to curb obesity and enhance weight loss, could lead to an increased risk of cardiac events in patients.
Merck has reported a strong net income for the third quarter of 2009, which ended Sept. 30.
Dynamic contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (DCE-MR) combined with pharmacokinetic modeling could be useful in monitoring therapy and predicting the response of new agents in treating type 2 diabetes, according to an article published in the September issue of Radiology.
Merck has reported a 12 percent decline in net income for the 2009 second quarter of $1.56 billion, compared with $1.8 billion in the previous year-ago quarter.
President Barack Obama is planning to nominate Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Written by Justine Cadet
ATLANTA—Lowering blood pressure to below currently recommended levels did not significantly reduce the combined risk of fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease events in adults with type 2 diabetes who were at especially high risk for cardiovascular events, based on the ACCORD trial presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference today. Slides»
Merck has reported strong financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year of 2009, which include the results of legacy Schering-Plough operations from the close of the merger on Nov. 3, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2009.
Uncontrolled high blood glucose (hyperglycemia) in patients with diabetes is known to increase mortality. However, new research shows that intensive treatment to control blood glucose can lower it too far (hypoglycemia), which also increases mortality. Thus, blood glucose level targets should have lower as well as upper limits, to reduce risk to patients, according to a study published online Jan. 26 in the Lancet.
Biodel has submitted a new drug application (NDA) to the FDA for clearance to market VIAject as a treatment for diabetes.
Array BioPharma and Amgen have entered into an agreement granting Amgen exclusive worldwide rights to Array's small-molecule glucokinase activator program, including ARRY-403, currently being tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The FDA has approved an expanded indication for Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly’s Byetta (exenatide) injection for use as a stand-alone medication (monotherapy) along with diet and exercise, to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Wellstat Therapeutics and Sanofi Aventis have signed a global licensing agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize PN2034, an oral insulin sensitizer for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. PN2034 was discovered by Wellstat and is currently in Phase II clinical trials to reverse insulin resistance in the liver of diabetic patients.
Taking the most commonly-prescribed anti-diabetic drug, metformin, reduces an individual's risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 62 percent, according to research from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, published in the Aug. 1 issue of Gastroenterology.
The addition of rosiglitazone (Avandia from GlaxoSmithKline) to glucose-lowering therapy in people with type 2 diabetes does not increase the risk of overall cardiovascular morbidity or mortality compared with standard glucose-lowering drugs, according to the RECORD trial in the June 20 edition of the Lancet.
Monday, July 06 2009
Takeda Global Research & Development Center, a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, received on June 26 a complete response letter from the FDA, rejecting its new drug application for alogliptin, a selective dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor, under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to diet and exercise.
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Middle age introduces itself in many ways; one is atrial fibrillation (AF). My onset of AF seems to have coincided with a mountain bike accident in the woods of North Carolina that resulted in some cracked ribs.
The use of health IT to reduce rehospitalizations will be welcome but also disruptive, said Stephen Jencks, an independent consultant in healthcare safety during a Feb. 24 webinar on the potential use of health IT to mitigate rehospitalizations, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).