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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, Avandaryl, Metformin/Rosiglitazone, Glimepiride/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, High Cholesterol, Heart Attack, Lipitor, Simvastatin, Crestor, Smoking Cessation, Pravastatin, Atorvastatin, Zocor, Lovastatin, Myocardial Infarction, Rosuvastatin, Gastric Bypass Surgery, Red Yeast Rice, Livalo, 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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Metformin Won't Help Heart Patients Without Diabetes: Study

Posted 6 Nov 2013 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 6 – A new clinical trial appears to have dashed hopes that the most popular drug for treating type 2 diabetes might also be able to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in nondiabetics. Previously, diabetes patients who took metformin, a safe and effective blood sugar-lowering pill, experienced a 39 percent lower risk of heart attack over 10 years in a landmark drug trial in the United Kingdom. Based on those findings, researchers with the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, set out to see whether metformin would provide similar cardiovascular benefits for people who don't have diabetes. The new results, published online Nov. 7 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, are disappointing, the study authors said. "We didn't find that any markers of heart risk really looked like they improved in any meaningful way," said study leader Dr. David Preiss, a clinical senior ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Metformin, Glucophage, Glucophage XR, Glumetza, Fortamet, Riomet

New Drug May Someday Battle Obesity and Diabetes

Posted 30 Oct 2013 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30 – A new diabetes drug may one day perform double duty for patients, controlling both their blood sugar levels and helping them lose weight, researchers report. In mouse trials, doctors found the drug prompted weight loss, in addition to managing blood sugar levels. "That [weight loss] is not what this drug was designed to do, but it's a very attractive additional benefit," said study co-author Richard DiMarchi, a research chemist at Indiana University in whose lab the drug was created. The injectable medication is based on a single molecule that combines the properties of two hormones that send chemical signals to the pancreas, said DiMarchi. "They signal to the pancreas that you are taking a meal," DiMarchi said. "The pancreas then responds by secreting insulin and to synthesize additional amounts of insulin for subsequent use." People with type 2 diabetes have ... Read more

Related support groups: Obesity, Diabetes, Type 2

High Blood Sugar May Raise Risk for Surgical Wound Problems: Study

Posted 5 Oct 2013 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 4 – Diabetes patients with high blood sugar levels are at increased risk for surgical wound-related complications after having surgery to close chronic skin ulcers caused by diabetes, a small new study says. The findings show the need for better blood sugar control in these patients before they have such surgery, the researchers noted. Their study of 79 patients found that the risk of serious wound complications was more than three times higher among those with high blood sugar before and after surgery, and in those with poor long-term diabetes control. The complications included wound dehiscence (re-opening of the surgical incision), wound infections and repeat surgery. Among the specific findings, wound dehiscence occurred in 44 percent of patients with high blood sugar levels before surgery, compared to 19 percent of those with good blood sugar control. The risk of ... Read more

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

Big Breakfast May Be Best for Diabetes Patients

Posted 26 Sep 2013 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 26 – A hearty breakfast that includes protein and fat may actually help people with type 2 diabetes better control both their hunger and their blood sugar levels. Patients who ate a big breakfast for three months experienced lower blood sugar (glucose) levels, and nearly one-third were able to reduce the amount of diabetic medication they took, according to an Israeli study that was scheduled for presentation Wednesday at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Barcelona. "The changes were very dramatic," said Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "I'm impressed with these findings," added Zonszein, who was not involved with the study. "We should see if they can be reproduced." The researchers based their new study on previous investigations that found that people who ... Read more

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Common Diabetes Drugs May Carry Risk, Study Suggests

Posted 26 Sep 2013 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 26 – Diabetes patients who take drugs called sulfonylureas as an initial therapy have a higher risk of death than those who take the diabetes drug metformin, a new study says. The British researchers said the findings suggest that it may no longer be appropriate to offer sulfonylureas as a first-line treatment. Diabetes experts in the United States agreed that the study could have an impact on care. The findings "will change the practice of glucose [blood sugar]-lowering therapy," said Dr. Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. But he added that "more study is need to confirm this data," and use of the alternative drug, metformin, is not always the answer. "Metformin and other oral hypoglycemic agents have their drawbacks, and probably we will see earlier use of insulin in type 2 diabetics," Mezitis said. Both metformin (brand names ... Read more

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Could Obesity Help Older People With Type 2 Diabetes?

Posted 25 Sep 2013 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 25 – Older obese people with type 2 diabetes appear to have a lower death rate than younger people who have diabetes and weigh less, a new study finds. This so-called "obesity paradox" might mean obesity is actually protective, or type 2 diabetes in older people is somehow different than it is in younger people, the researchers speculate. Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, who did not take part in the study, said that "my feeling is that fat is not protective, but the ones who are dying have more bad fat and more aggressive diabetes." It's not just a matter of weight, but where the weight is and how aggressive the diabetes is that makes the difference, he said. "What we are seeing nowadays is that young people who develop type 2 diabetes have lots of bad fat," he said. Specifically, that's fat ... Read more

Related support groups: Obesity, Diabetes, Type 2

Blood 'Marker' May Predict Diabetes Risk in Older Women

Posted 20 Sep 2013 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 20 – Older women's age and lifestyle habits may be associated with levels of a protein possibly linked with type 2 diabetes risk, researchers say. There is growing evidence that relatively low levels of the protein – called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) – can indicate an increased risk of type 2 diabetes years in advance. "By the time you are checking blood glucose it's too late, [because] you use that as a diagnostic criterion to define diabetes," Dr. Simin Liu, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Brown University, said in a university news release. "This protein can predict your future risk six to 10 years down the line." Liu and his colleagues looked at more than 13,000 postmenopausal women and identified non-genetic factors associated with levels of SHBG. They found that age, use of estrogen-replacement therapy, physical activity and consumption of ... Read more

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Weight-Loss Surgery Can Improve Long-Term Diabetes Control, Study Says

Posted 19 Sep 2013 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 19 – Weight loss surgery can benefit overweight patients with type 2 diabetes for up to nine years after the procedure, according to a new study. Long-term follow-up showed that patients continued to have improvements in their diabetes, as well as a reduction in risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the researchers reported. "Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to serious complications such as heart and kidney disease," said lead investigator Dr. Stacy Brethauer, a bariatric surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric & Metabolic Institute in Ohio. "Only about half of diabetics in the United States currently have acceptable control of their blood glucose level." "Our study, however, shows that 80 percent of the diabetic patients still control their blood glucose five years after their bariatric surgery," Brethauer added in a clinic news release. "Additionally, nearly ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Gastric Bypass Surgery

4 Factors Predict Diabetes Remission After Surgery: Study

Posted 13 Sep 2013 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 13 – A simple scoring system can predict whether an obese patient might achieve diabetes remission within five years after weight-loss surgery, according to researchers. The scoring system – called DiaRem – is based on four readily available pre-surgery patient characteristics: insulin use, age, hemoglobin A1c concentration (a measure of blood sugar) and type of diabetes drugs. To develop their scoring system, the researchers analyzed the outcomes of nearly 700 obese people with type 2 diabetes who underwent weight-loss surgery between 2004 and 2011. Of those patients, 63 percent achieved partial or complete diabetes remission. The researchers analyzed hundreds of factors in order to identify those that were independent predictors of remission. They eventually narrowed them down to the four used in the scoring system. Patient scores were determined by assigning a ... Read more

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New Drug Shows Promise for Type 2 Diabetes

Posted 4 Sep 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 3 – An injectable drug that mimics the action of a little-known hormone may hold promise for patients with type 2 diabetes. The experimental drug, called LY, is a copy of a hormone called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and researchers report that it seems to help protect against obesity and may boost the action of insulin. In a month-long trial of 46 patients with type 2 diabetes who were randomly assigned to receive daily injections of the drug or an inactive placebo, patients who received the highest doses of the drug saw significant, favorable changes in their blood fat (lipid) levels compared to those on the dummy shots. Two "bad" blood fats – LDL and triglycerides – dropped, while patients' HDL, or "good" cholesterol, increased. Total cholesterol counts also dropped significantly compared to placebo shots. Patients on the highest doses of the drug also lost ... Read more

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

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