NN&I - July 2010
Diabetes Watch 20 Nephrology News & Issues July 2010Subscribe to our free eNewsletter at www.nephronline.com Post-traumatic stress disorder may raise diabetes riskMilitary service members with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to develop diabetes than their counterparts without PTSD symptoms, according to a study published May 18 online in the journal Diabetes Care by research-ers from the Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. While previous research has suggested that depression increases the risk of diabe- tes, the new study of more than 44,000 active duty service members suggests a stronger association with PTSD, an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. These can include violent personal assaults, naturally or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. It is possible that the stress response asso-ciated with PTSD could contribute to wide- spread inflammation in the body and lower sensitivity to the blood-sugar-regulating hor- mone insulin, which could lead to diabetes, researchers said. Pharma's marketDevice may predict wound healing Researchers from Drexel University said May 25 that they have developed a device to predict diabetic wound healing. The prototype devicewhich uses infra-red spectroscopy to allow tissue to be non-invasively analyzedmea-sures the level of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin within and under a wound and compares it to a control/non-wound site of the same patient. Metformin linked to vitamin B-12 deficiency Researchers from the Netherlands reported May 21 in the online ver- sion of the journal BMJ that type 2 diabetes patients who regularly take the drug metformin (also known as Glucophage) had a 19% reduction in their vitamin B-12 levels and should get their levels checked often. Processed meat linked to diabetes According to a study from the Harvard School of Public Health and published May 19 in the journal Circulation, eating processed meats like bacon and sausage, or processed deli meats, is associated with a 19% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Depressed with diabetes? Try a low-protein diet Researchers at the Second University of Naples in Italy said in a study published in the May 14 issue of Nutrition that consuming a low-protein diet six days a week may significantly reduce depressive symptoms in type 2 diabetics with renal failure. Juvenile use of diabetes drugs on the rise According to an analysis of pediatric medication use con-ducted as part of a Medco drug trend study, childhood use of medications for type 2 diabetes rose 5.3% in 2009 and is up more than 150% since 2001. The study, released May 19, found that girls between the ages of 10 and 19 showed the great-est jump in medication use, at nearly 200% over nine years. Medco CEO Robert Epstein, MD, said on a conference call from Medco's drug trend symposium in Orlando, Fla. that rising obesity levels in children is a contributing factor. Actos maker Takeda slashes 1,600 jobs Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. will cut nearly 1,600 workers company-wide as the company expects to face generic competition for its top-selling Actos diabetes drug in 2012. Takeda cut 28% of its workforce at the company's Deerfield, Ill.-based North America headquarters as well as 20% of its workforce at Takeda Global Research and Development Center in Lake Forest, Ill., which employs 840 people. Lantus maker spent $1.58M on lobbying in 1Q French pharmaceutical maker Sanofi-Aventiswhose biggest selling product is diabetes drug Lantusspent $1.58 million in the first quarter lobbying the U.S. government about health reform, tax credits for pharmaceutical companies, and drug pricing. The spending was an 8% boost from the $1.5 million it spent in 2009's first quarter, according to the filing with the U.S. House of Representatives clerk's office on April 20. Alkermes' diabetes drug to get second FDA review Cambridge, Mass.-based Alkermes Inc. said May 6 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will reconsider the company's application for its once-weekly type 2 diabetes drug Bydureon. The FDA will decide Oct. 22, the company said. Bydureon will be jointly produced by Alkermes, Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company. According to an analysis of pediatric medication use con- Under study Under study Compiled by Thomas Keating Diabetes_NNI0710_5.indd 20 6/16/10 1:38:18 PM
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