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Clinical Trials
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
Washington Post: 2/2814
Millions of Americans are unaware that their health and lives are at serious risk, according to a new report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America (PhRMA).
“Five thousand people are diagnosed with diabetes every day in this country, and one in three American adults have pre-diabetes right now,” said PhRMA President and CEO John J. Castellani. Most disturbing: according to Centers for Disease Control findings cited by PhRMA, one quarter of all Americans with diabetes – about seven million people – don’t even know they have it.
However, new drugs and treatments “could result in a way to prevent diabetes altogether,” according to researcher and former American Diabetes Association official Matthias Von Herrath. He and other researchers are working on ways to “reeducate” the immune system so it does not attack helpful, insulin-producing cells. This innovative approach offers exciting hope for the millions of Americans fighting diabetes every day of their lives. Read More
Posted by Staff
Clinical Trials
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
Diabetes Care: April 2014
OBJECTIVE The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) trial investigated rates of progression to diabetes among adults with prediabetes randomized to treatment with placebo, metformin, or intensive lifestyle intervention. Among women in the DPP, diabetes risk reduction with metformin was greater in women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) compared with women without GDM but with one or more previous live births.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We asked if genetic variability could account for these differences by comparing β-cell function and genetic risk scores (GRS), calculated from 34 diabetes-associated loci, between women with and without histories of GDM. Read More
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News
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
Valley Morning Star: March 15, 2014
For 1977 Cover Girl, crowning achievement was more than just a win
For Terri Coffey Lewis, being named the 1977 Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show Cover Girl wasn’t only an honor, it was an achievement that helped her gain a bit of normalcy during a time when things were anything but normal.
About a year before the contest, Terri was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes while attending Donna High School.
“At the time, diabetes was not as prevalent as it is today and not as understood,” she said. “I was the only one in the school with the disease and that made me feel different. But after I won the Cover Girl contest, I felt better about things. In addition to making me feel more confident, it showed me that I could do things and gave me hope that I could live a normal life despite the diabetes.”
Terri said she remembers that she had to have a chaperone attend the stock show with her in order to help her keep an eye on her diabetes. Read More
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News
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
Diabetes Care: March 12, 2014
OBJECTIVE To describe market trends for antidiabetic drugs, focusing on newly approved drugs, concomitant use of antidiabetic drugs, and effects of safety concerns and access restrictions on thiazolidinedione use.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Nationally projected data on antidiabetic prescriptions for adults dispensed from U.S. retail pharmacies were extracted from IMS Health Vector One National and Total Patient Tracker for 2003–2012 and from Encuity Research Treatment Answers and Symphony Health Solutions PHAST Prescription Monthly for 2012. Read More
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News
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
Diabetes Care: March 4, 2014
OBJECTIVE To assess whether after the introduction of diabetes performance measures decreases in undertreatment correspond with increases in overtreatment for blood pressure (BP) and glycemic control in different patient age groups.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a cohort study using data from the Groningen Initiative to Analyze Type 2 Diabetes Treatment database. General practices were included when data were available from 1 year before to at least 1 year after the introduction of diabetes performance measures. Included patients had a confirmed diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Potential overtreatment was defined as prescribing maximum treatment or a treatment intensification to patients with a sustained low-risk factor level. Potential undertreatment was defined as a lack of treatment intensification in patients with a sustained high-risk factor level. Percentages of over- and undertreated patients at baseline were compared with those in subsequent years, and stratified analyses were performed for different patient age groups. Read More
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News
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
Diabetes Care: February 27, 2014
OBJECTIVE Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of mortality and coronary artery disease. The relationship between cardiovascular health and alcohol use in type 2 diabetes is less clear. The current study assesses the effects of alcohol use among participants in the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified-Release Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) trial.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The effects of alcohol use were explored using Cox regression models, adjusted for potential confounders. The study end points were cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke), microvascular complications (new or worsening nephropathy or retinopathy), and all-cause mortality. Read More
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News
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
Diabetes Care: February 26, 2014
OBJECTIVE While metformin is generally accepted as the first-line agent in treatment of type 2 diabetes, there are insufficient evidence and extensive debate about the best second-line agent. We aimed to assess the benefits and harms of four commonly used antihyperglycemia treatment regimens considering clinical effectiveness, quality of life, and cost.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We developed and validated a new population-based glycemic control Markov model that simulates natural variation in HbA1c progression. The model was calibrated using a U.S. data set of privately insured individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We compared treatment intensification of metformin monotherapy with sulfonylurea, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, or insulin. Outcome measures included life-years (LYs), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), mean time to insulin dependence, and expected medication cost per QALY from diagnosis to first diabetes complication (ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, stroke, blindness, renal failure, amputation) or death. Read More
