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FDA Approves Farxiga to Treat Type 2 Diabetes

Posted 8 Jan 2014 by Drugs.com

January 8, 2014 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Farxiga (dapagliflozin) tablets to improve glycemic control, along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes affects about 24 million people and accounts for more than 90 percent of diabetes cases diagnosed in the United States. Over time, high blood sugar levels can increase the risk for serious complications, including heart disease, blindness, and nerve and kidney damage. “Controlling blood sugar levels is very important in the overall treatment and care of diabetes, and Farxiga provides an additional treatment option for millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes,” said Curtis Rosebraugh, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Drug Evaluation II in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Farxiga is a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor that blocks the re ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes

Mediterranean Diet Alone May Lower Diabetes Risk

Posted 6 Jan 2014 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 6 – Adults at risk for heart disease who eat a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil can lower their chances of developing diabetes, even without restricting calories or boosting exercise, new research suggests. In the study, Spanish researchers followed more than 3,500 older adults at high risk of heart disease. The researchers assigned them to one of three groups: a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, or a low-fat diet, which served as the comparison. They did not get special instructions on losing weight or increasing their physical activity. A Mediterranean diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish, besides the olive oil. Those in the nut group were allowed about an ounce a day of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Those in the olive oil group were allowed a little more than three tablespoons ... Read more

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Many Hispanic Women Unaware of Heart Disease Risk Factors

Posted 6 Jan 2014 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 6, 2014 – Hispanic women tend to be less informed than white women about the link between being obese or overweight and increased risk for heart disease, a new study finds. For the study, published recently in the Journal of Women's Health, the researchers reviewed answers provided by almost 400 Hispanic women and more than 300 white women about heart disease and body perception. Although public awareness of heart disease has increased, the researchers found minority women still do not know as much as others about the risk factors for this significant health problem. This discrepancy makes efforts to prevent heart disease more challenging, said the research team from Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "Based on these findings, prevention strategies need to target [cardiovascular disease] knowledge and awareness among overweight and obese Hispanic women," ... Read more

Related support groups: Obesity, Diabetes, Type 2, Heart Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction

Many With Diabetes Don't Realize Disease Can Harm Vision

Posted 19 Dec 2013 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 19, 2013 – Less than half of adults who are losing their vision to diabetes have been told by a doctor that diabetes could damage their eyesight, a new study found. Vision loss is a common complication of diabetes, and is caused by damage that the chronic disease does to the blood vessels within the eye. The problem can be successfully treated in nearly all cases, but Johns Hopkins researchers found that many diabetics aren't taking care of their eyes, and aren't even aware that vision loss is a potential problem. Nearly three of every five diabetics in danger of losing their sight told the Hopkins researchers they couldn't recall a doctor describing to them the link between diabetes and vision loss. The study appeared in the Dec. 19 online issue of the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. About half of people with diabetes said they hadn't seen a health-care provider in the ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Diabetes, Type 1, Diabetic Retinopathy

Typical Gum Disease Treatments Won't Help Ease Diabetes, Study Finds

Posted 17 Dec 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2013 – Typical, nonsurgical treatment of gum disease in people with type 2 diabetes will not improve their blood-sugar control, a new study suggests. There's long been a connection between gum disease and wider health issues, and experts say a prior study had offered some evidence that treatment of gum disease might enhance blood-sugar control in patients with diabetes. Nearly half of Americans over age 30 are believed to have gum disease, and people with diabetes are at greater risk for the problem, the researchers said. Well-controlled diabetes is associated with less severe gum disease and a lower risk for progression of gum disease, according to background information in the study. But would an easing of gum disease help control patients' diabetes? To find out, the researchers, led by Steven Engebretson of New York University, tracked outcomes for more than 500 ... Read more

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Diabetes Drugs Affect Hearts of Men, Women Differently

Posted 16 Dec 2013 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2013 – Widely used diabetes drugs have different effects on men's and women's hearts, a new study suggests. Researchers examined how three commonly prescribed treatments for type 2 diabetes affected 78 patients who were divided into three groups. One group took metformin alone, the second group took metformin plus rosiglitazone (sold under the brand name Avandia) and the third group took metformin plus Lovaza, a type of fish oil. Metformin reduces blood sugar production by the liver and improves insulin sensitivity. Rosiglitazone also improves insulin sensitivity and moves free fatty acids out of the blood. Lovaza lowers blood levels of another type of fat called triglycerides. The researchers found that the drugs had very different and sometimes opposite effects on the hearts of men and women, even as the drugs controlled blood sugar equally well in both genders. The ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Metformin, Glucophage, Lovaza, Fish Oil, Avandia, Glucophage XR, Omega-3, Glumetza, Omacor, Fortamet, Riomet, Rosiglitazone, MaxEPA, Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Marine Lipid Concentrate, Animi-3, Divista, Sea-Omega 70, EPA Fish Oil

Heartening Drop in Diabetes Complications Seen Among Seniors

Posted 10 Dec 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 – Better diabetes treatment has slashed rates of complications such as heart attacks, strokes and amputations in older adults, a new study shows. "All the event rates, if you look at them, everything is a lot better than it was in the 1990s, dramatically better," said study author Dr. Elbert Huang, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. The study also found that hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar – a side effect of medications that control diabetes – has become one of the top problems seen in seniors, suggesting that doctors may need to rethink drug regimens as patients age. The findings, published online Dec. 9 in JAMA Internal Medicine, are based on more than 72,000 adults aged 60 and older with type 2 diabetes. They are being tracked through the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Diabetes Registry. Researchers tallied diabetic ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Ischemic Stroke, Heart Attack, Myocardial Infarction

Type 2 Diabetes Might Raise Risk of Liver Cancer

Posted 9 Dec 2013 by Drugs.com

SUNDAY, Dec. 8, 2013 – People with type 2 diabetes might be at somewhat higher risk of developing liver cancer, according to a large, long-term study. The research suggests that those with type 2 diabetes have about two to three times greater risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) – the most common type of liver cancer – compared to those without diabetes. Still, the risk of developing liver cancer remains low, experts said. Race and ethnicity might also play a role in increasing the odds of liver cancer, the researchers said. An estimated 26 percent of liver cancer cases in Latino study participants and 20 percent of cases in Hawaiians were attributed to diabetes. Among blacks and Japanese-Americans, the researchers estimated 13 percent and 12 percent of cases, respectively, were attributed to diabetes. Among whites, the rate was 6 percent. "In general, if you're a [type ... Read more

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Many at Risk for Diabetes and Don't Know It, Study Finds

Posted 4 Dec 2013 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2013 – New research shows that many Americans who are at risk for type 2 diabetes don't believe they are, and their doctors may not be giving them a clear message about their risk. American Diabetes Association researchers surveyed more than 1,400 people aged 40 and older and more than 600 health care providers to come to this conclusion. The investigators found that 40 percent of at-risk people thought they had no risk for diabetes or prediabetes, and only 30 percent of patients with modifiable risk factors for diabetes believed they had some increased risk for diabetes. Less than half of at-risk patients said they'd had regular discussions with their health care provider about blood pressure, blood sugar levels and cholesterol, and didn't recall being tested as often as health care providers reported actually testing them. Only 25 percent of at-risk patients are ... Read more

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FDA Medwatch Alert: Rosiglitazone-containing Diabetes Medicines: Drug Safety Communication - Removal of Some Prescribing and Dispensing Restrictions

Posted 26 Nov 2013 by Drugs.com

including Avandia, Avandamet, Avandaryl, and generics   [Posted 11/25/2013] ISSUE: FDA has determined that recent data for rosiglitazone-containing drugs, such as Avandia, Avandamet, Avandaryl, and generics, do not show an increased risk of heart attack compared to the standard type 2 diabetes medicines metformin and sulfonylurea. As a result, FDA is requiring removal of the prescribing and dispensing restrictions for rosiglitazone medicines that were put in place in 2010. This decision is based on FDA review of data from a large, long-term clinical trial and is supported by a comprehensive, outside, expert re-evaluation of the data conducted by the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).  Previous data from a large, combined analysis of mostly short-term, randomized clinical trials of rosiglitazone had suggested an elevated risk of heart attack, so FDA required a Risk Evaluation and M ... Read more

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FDA to Lift Restrictions on Diabetes Drug Avandia

Posted 25 Nov 2013 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that it is lifting the tough safety restrictions it imposed on the diabetes drug Avandia two years ago because of reported links to heart problems. The agency's decision was expected, and follows up on a June vote by an expert advisory panel to rescind the restrictions, based on new data that suggested the medication may not be as harmful as once thought. Avandia had been taken off drug store shelves in 2011, and its use restricted to patients who first signed a waiver saying they understood the possible risks. Only specially registered pharmacies could dispense Avandia. But an independent review by Duke University researchers, based on Avandia's original clinical trial, concluded that patients had no elevated risk of heart attack or death compared with those taking standard diabetes drugs. "Our actions ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Avandia, Avandamet, Rosiglitazone, Glimepiride/Rosiglitazone, Avandaryl, Metformin/Rosiglitazone

Needle-Free 'Breathalyzer' for Daily Diabetes Testing Shows Promise

Posted 13 Nov 2013 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13 – People with diabetes have to prick their fingers multiple times a day to monitor their blood sugar levels, but researchers report that someday patients may be able to do that simply by checking their breath. A hand-held device would measure levels of the chemical acetone in someone's breath. Acetone levels rise when blood sugar levels rise, and acetone is responsible for the sweet, fruity smell on the breath of people with diabetes who have high blood sugar levels. What hasn't yet been proven is whether or not blood sugar levels reliably rise and fall with acetone levels, according to the study's lead researcher, Ronny Priefer, a professor of medicinal chemistry at Western New England University in Springfield, Mass. "If we can successfully show that there is a linear correlation between acetone levels and blood glucose [sugar] levels, the ease of which an ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Diabetes, Type 1, Diagnosis and Investigation

New Guidelines for Heart Health: Reduce Obesity and Maintain Safe Cholesterol Levels

Posted 12 Nov 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 12 – Reducing obesity cuts heart-health risks, and new guidelines from experts may help doctors and their plus-sized patients devise an effective – and perhaps lifesaving – weight-loss plan. What works best are lifestyle changes, not crash diets, according to the guidelines, which were released Tuesday by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the Obesity Society. "Our recommendation is that doctors prescribe a diet to achieve reduced caloric intake as part of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention," guideline co-author Dr. Donna Ryan, a professor emeritus at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, said during a press conference. The diet should be tailored to patient preferences and any drugs they take, she said. Diet, physical activity and face-to-face behavioral counseling combined can lead to ... Read more

Related support groups: Obesity, Diabetes, Type 2, Ischemic Stroke, Heart Attack, High Cholesterol, Lipitor, Simvastatin, Crestor, Smoking Cessation, Pravastatin, Atorvastatin, Zocor, Lovastatin, Myocardial Infarction, Rosuvastatin, Gastric Bypass Surgery, Livalo, Red Yeast Rice, Pravachol, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction

Meat Products Could Raise Diabetes Risk: Study

Posted 12 Nov 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 12 – To avoid developing type 2 diabetes, you may have been told to watch your calories and kick up your activity level. Now researchers say there's something else you might consider: your so-called dietary acid load. A diet heavy in animal products and other acidic foods can cause an acid load in the body, resulting in health complications. This includes reduced insulin sensitivity, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, according to the new study. "We have demonstrated for the first time in a large prospective study that dietary acid load was positively associated with type 2 diabetes risk, independently of other known risk factors for diabetes," the researchers said. "Our results need to be validated in other populations, and may lead to promotion of diets with a low acid load for the prevention of diabetes." The term animal products refers to meat, eggs and dairy. Greater ... Read more

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Could Low 'Brown Fat' Levels Be Tied to Higher Diabetes Risk?

Posted 12 Nov 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 12 – South Asian people have lower amounts of so-called "brown fat" than white people do, which might help explain why they have a much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a small new study. Unlike white fat, brown fat burns calories instead of storing them, and some studies have shown that brown fat has beneficial effects on glucose (blood sugar) tolerance, fat metabolism and body weight. Research has shown that compared to whites, South Asians are much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, to develop it at a younger age and at a lower body mass index, which is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight. However, little has been known about the reasons behind these differences between South Asians and whites, the study authors noted. This study compared brown fat volume and activity in 12 healthy, lean South Asian men, about 25 years old, ... Read more

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Diabetic Ketoacidosis (in DM Type II), Diabetic Coma (in DM Type II), Diabetes Mellitus

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