Insulin News and Research

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Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert glucose, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Insulin allows cells to use glucose for fuel and is secreted by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. The release of insulin from the pancreas is stimulated by increased blood glucose, vagal nerve stimulation, and other factors. Insulin is obtained from various animals and available in a variety of preparations. Commercial insulin preparations differ in a number of ways, including differences in the animal species from which they are obtained; their purity, concentration, and solubility; and the time of onset and duration of their biologic action. An oral hypoglycemic agent is not a form of insulin therapy.

Novo Nordisk's Levemir not associated with increase in the incidence of cancer

A meta-analysis of clinical data published today in Diabetologia, the medical journal for the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), demonstrated that the Novo Nordisk long-acting insulin Levemir® (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection) was not associated with any increase in the incidence of cancer when compared to human insulin.

From Novo Nordisk 21 Oct 2009

New research highlights brain's vulnerability to obesity

New research released today is affirming a long-held maxim: you are what you eat - and, more to the point, what you eat has a profound influence on the brain. The findings offer insight into the neurobiological factors behind the obesity epidemic in the United States and other developed countries.

20 Oct 2009

Tarsa Therapeutics receives license for Phase III oral calcitonin program

Unigene Laboratories, Inc. and Tarsa Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that Unigene has licensed its Phase III oral calcitonin program to Tarsa, a new company formed by a syndicate of three venture capital funds specializing in the life sciences: MVM Life Science Partners, Quaker BioVentures and Novo A/S.

20 Oct 2009

Day care center integrates diabetes care for children into its routine as part of ADA settlement

Pine Hills Kiddie Garden of Fort Wayne, Ind., will take necessary steps to ensure that a child's diabetes care is integrated into the usual routine of its day care center and programs as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that it discriminated on the basis of disability, the Justice Department announced today.

20 Oct 2009

Health Canada approves new Lantus ClikSTAR reusable insulin pen

Health Canada has approved the ClikSTAR reusable insulin pen for use with Lantus, giving patients with diabetes an additional option to safely and effectively achieve and sustain control of their blood sugar levels. The new insulin delivery device was launched today in conjunction with the 20th World Diabetes Congress being held in Montreal, Quebec, making Canada one of the first countries worldwide to launch this state-of-the-art pen.

20 Oct 2009

Diabetes represents a global health threat

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) released new data today showing that a staggering 285 million people worldwide have diabetes.

20 Oct 2009

Children with history of diabetic ketoacidosis may have memory problems

Children who have had an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis, a common complication of diabetes, may have persistent memory problems, according to a new study from researchers at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain.

19 Oct 2009

Metabolic master switch sets the biological clock in body tissues

Our body's activity levels fall and rise to the beat of our internal drums-the 24-hour cycles that govern fundamental physiological functions, from sleeping and feeding patterns to the energy available to our cells. Whereas the master clock in the brain is set by light, the pacemakers in peripheral organs are set by food availability. The underlying molecular mechanism was unknown.

19 Oct 2009

National Science Foundation funded 2009 Nobel laureates felicitated

The National Science Foundation (NSF) congratulates the 2009 Nobel laureates, particularly those who have received NSF funding over the years: Jack W. Szostak, who shared the prize in physiology or medicine; Thomas A. Steitz, who shared the prize in chemistry; and Elinor Ostrom and Oliver E. Williamson who earned the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in economic sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel 2009.

15 Oct 2009

Resveratrol in red grapes offers some protection against diabetes

A naturally produced molecule called resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, has been shown to lower insulin levels in mice when injected directly into the brain, even when the animals ate a high-fat diet.

15 Oct 2009

Study shows type 2 diabetes patients treated with ACTOplus met experience blood sugar reduction

A study, published online in the journal Current Medical Research and Opinion, showed that a greater percentage of patients with type 2 diabetes treated with the fixed-dose combination ACTOplus met® (pioglitazone HCl and metformin HCl) as initial therapy reached the study goal of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of less than or equal to 7 percent compared to either component alone.

15 Oct 2009

Decision Resources forecasts biosimilar insulins and insulin analogues to erode $6.1 billion in brand sales

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, forecasts that biosimilar insulins and insulin analogues stand to erode $6.1 billion in brand sales in the U.S. and Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and U.K.) by 2018, saving healthcare systems $3.8 billion in the process.

15 Oct 2009

Diabetes care undergoes a paradigm shift to delay onset of full-blown disease

Diabetes care is undergoing a paradigm shift in which insulin is being prescribed earlier, for more conditions, in order to delay the onset of full-blown disease, according to a study released today by Scientia Advisors.

14 Oct 2009

Antisense Therapeutics completes repeat-dosing toxicology studies for ATL1103

Antisense Therapeutics Limited is pleased to announce that the Company has now completed repeat-dosing toxicology studies for ATL1103 in two species -- mouse and non-human primate. Draft study reports from the study contractors in the United States have been received, and the toxicology outcomes from these studies support ANP's plans for the continued development of ATL1103.

14 Oct 2009

Increase in adiponectin hormone levels protects against sepsis-related mortality

A hormone naturally found in the fat that surrounds the abdominal organs for the first time has been linked to death related to sepsis, surgeons reported at the 2009 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. A study exhibited at the conference showed that low levels of the hormone adiponectin placed animals at a profoundly high risk of death from a septic insult.

14 Oct 2009

ADDF grant to support the evaluation of PPAR-sparing insulin sensitizers

Metabolic Solutions Development Company (MSDC) announced today that it has received a $100,000 grant from the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) to support the evaluation of PPAR-sparing insulin sensitizers as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

14 Oct 2009

Positive results from Metabolex' Phase 1 MBX-2982 clinical trial for treating type 2 diabetes

Metabolex, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary new medicines for the treatment of metabolic diseases, announced positive results from two multiple ascending dose Phase 1 clinical trials of MBX-2982.

14 Oct 2009

Merck Frosst Canada's JANUMET receives Notice of Compliance in Canada

Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. announced today that its new diabetes treatment, JANUMET(TM) (sitagliptin/metformin HCI, MSD), has received Notice of Compliance (NoC) in Canada.

13 Oct 2009

AHA: Americans should reduce their calorie intake to combat obesity and cardiovascular disease

Reaching for that chocolate chip cookie? Think twice. The American Heart Association (AHA) just released the strictest guidelines ever for added sugars, recommending Americans limit their diet to 100 calories (6 teaspoons) for women and 150 calories (nine teaspoons) for men each day.

13 Oct 2009

Arena Pharmaceuticals to present Phase 3 BLOSSOM trial results at Obesity 2009

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARNA) announced today that lorcaserin will be featured in multiple presentations at Obesity 2009, the 27th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society in Washington, DC.

12 Oct 2009