Diabetes News December 11th 2009

Medicines in development 2009
Biopharmaceutical Companies Developing Record 183 Medicines to Treat Diabetes and Related Conditions (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America)

Diabetes drugs compared
This thorough study compared the risk levels associated with different medications for type 2 diabetes, and did not compare the different drugs versus no treatment. For this reason people should not stop taking their medication based on this study, as taking no medication is likely to be more dangerous (NHS Choices)

An Economic Tsunami: The Cost of Diabetes in Canada
Diabetes is not only a personal crisis for the people living with the disease, it is also a tremendous financial burden for the Canadian healthcare system and society as a whole – Full report (Canadian Diabetes Association)

House accepts resolution for diabetes funding
The House of Representatives passed, by a voice vote, H. Res. 35, a resolution urging increased federal funding for type 1 diabetes research (Examiner, USA)

Gestational glucose intolerance predicted likelihood of postpartum metabolic syndrome
Even mild glucose intolerance during pregnancy appears to predict an increased likelihood for metabolic syndrome at three months postpartum, according to data published online in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (Endocrine Today)

Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome in the Pediatric Population
This review summarizes current research regarding the pathophysiology of insulin resistance and how this may contribute to specific abnormalities seen in children and adolescents with the metabolic syndrome (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc)

Does intensive glucose control reduce cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus?
In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, intensive glucose control reduced some cardiovascular events but did not change overall mortality (Evidence-Based Medicine)

Association Between Adherence and Glycemic Control in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes
This meta-analysis supports the adherence-glycemic control link in pediatric type 1 diabetes. The weaker post-DCCT association suggests that the approach to intensive diabetes management has shortcomings (Pediatrics)

Gene mutation for obesity ‘rare’
The number of very severely obese children with the genetic deletions on part of chromosome 16 were rare. It should not, therefore, be assumed that all severely obese people have this genetic mutation. It is likely that the majority of obesity is related to environmental causes (NHS Choices)

Novo Nordisk starts trials for oral insulin drug
Novo Nordisk has initiated its first Phase I trial with an oral insulin analogue, called NN1952, which it hopes could one day provide an alternative to daily injections for diabeties patients (PharmaTimes)

Real-time detection of nocturnal hypoglycemic episodes using a novel non-invasive hypoglycemia monitor
For hypoglycemic episodes at night, their heart rates increased and corrected QT intervals increased significantly (PubMed)

Lilly Announces the First 300-unit Vial of Insulin
The new smaller vial – for Lilly’s Humalog(R) (insulin lispro injection [rDNA origin]) and Humulin(R) R-U100 (regular insulin human injection, USP [rDNA origin)]) – is intended to provide hospitals more flexibility when evaluating insulin storage, delivery and distribution options (Lilly)

Aerobic exercise in obese diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease
Exercise training in obese diabetic patients with CKD is feasible and results in a demonstrable training effect – a randomized and controlled pilot study (Cardiovascular Diabetology)

Steroid therapy may provide stable, durable benefits to five years in patients with diabetic macular edema
Intravitreal steroid therapy proved durable out to five years in patients treated for vision loss secondary to diabetic macular edema and benefited patients who were initially treated with placebo in the first two years of a study (Endocrine Today)

Parents Receptive to Sending Blood Sugar Readings Via Text
A survey by the Center for Connected Health found more than half of parents of children with diabetes were interested in a glucometer service that would use cellular phones to collect and transmit a child’s blood sugar readings to a doctor (American Diabetes Association)