Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

VIVUS disappointed with FDA Advisory Committee's vote on QNEXA for obesity treatment

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted against the following question: "Based on the current available data, do you believe the overall benefit-risk assessment of PHEN/TPM (QNEXA) is favorable to support its approval for the treatment of obesity in individuals with a BMI > 30 kg/m2 or > 27 kg/m2 with weight-related co-morbidities?" The three co-morbidities included hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia.

16 Jul 2010

MD Anderson Cancer Center continues to rank first in cancer care

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center remains the leading hospital in the nation for cancer care for the fourth year straight, according to the annual "Best Hospitals" survey published by U.S. News & World Report.This is the seventh time in the last nine years that MD Anderson has ranked number one in the annual listing. Since the survey began in 1990, the institution has been ranked one of the top two cancer hospitals in the United States.

16 Jul 2010

Diamyd Medical receives US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust clearance

Diamyd Medical AB has received antitrust clearance that closes the transaction announced on June 22, 2010 with Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OMJPI), a Johnson & Johnson company.

16 Jul 2010

UCI first medical center on West Coast to perform robotic thyroidectomies

UC Irvine Healthcare is the first medical center on the West Coast and the only one in California to perform robotic thyroidectomies, a procedure that removes the diseased gland without leaving a visible scar on the neck. Dr. Jason Kim, associate clinical professor of otolaryngology and a head and neck cancer specialist, has performed robotic-assisted surgery using the daVinci Surgical System on three patients with thyroid tumors.

16 Jul 2010

VCU Medical Center ranked in 2010-2011 Best Hospitals

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center on Thursday was ranked in the 2010-2011 Best Hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report, making it one of 152 medical centers nationwide selected out of nearly 2,000 eligible institutions.

16 Jul 2010

Federal advisory panel with reservations, recommends keeping Avandia on the Market

Federal advisers delivered a mixed verdict Wednesday on the diabetes drug Avandia,with a significant number of experts voting to recommend that it be pulled from the market because of safety concerns but a majority urging to keep it available, perhaps with tough new restrictions and new warnings.Avandia was once the world's most popular diabetes drugs but has become the focus of intense debate because of concerns that it increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes.

16 Jul 2010

Proteinuria screening identifies risk for kidney disease progression

A morning urine test is superior to all other tests for detecting declining kidney performance in patients with diabetic kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that clinicians should monitor kidney function by measuring the albumin:creatinine ratio from a first morning urine sample.

16 Jul 2010

MPI reduces depressive symptoms: Study

This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led minimal psychological intervention (MPI) in chronically ill elderly persons with minor depression or mild-to-moderate major depression, and type II diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nine months after the intervention, patients receiving the MPI showed a 50% reduction in depressive symptoms relative to baseline values and diabetic MPI patients had a better quality of life than diabetic controls.

16 Jul 2010

An overview of heart palpitations from Mayo Clinic

Almost everyone feels occasional heart palpitations -- a change in the heart's rhythm. Palpitations range from what feels like a skip, flip or bump in the heart's rhythm to a sustained, racing heartbeat.

16 Jul 2010

Insurers will pick up preventive care costs under new rules

The recommendations of a federal task force on preventive care - once just suggestions for doctors - will soon become coverage requirements for private insurers under regulations unveiled Wednesday by the Obama administration, according to Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post. "Under the new health care overhaul law, insurers will be required to pay fully for services that get an "A" or "B" recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a volunteer group made up of primary care and public health experts."

16 Jul 2010

High blood pressure, diabetes leads to CKD

People with diabetes and high blood pressure need to take care of their kidneys. According to the July issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing problem in the United States. The most common causes are diabetes and high blood pressure

16 Jul 2010

Waist circumference predicts diabetes risk

Waist circumference gives a better prediction of diabetes risk than does BMI. This is the conclusion drawn by Silke Feller and her colleagues from the German Institute for Nutritional Research in Potsdam-Rehbr-cke, in the current edition of Deutsches -rzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[26]: 470-6).

16 Jul 2010

Restricting salt intake to 6g per day lowers risk of cardiovascular morbidities

Restricting the amount of sodium chloride in food can lower the risk of cardiovascular morbidities. This is the conclusion that Dieter Klaus and colleagues come to in the current issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International.

16 Jul 2010

ACTOS offers safety profile regarding risk of CV events in people with type 2 diabetes: Takeda

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee held a joint meeting primarily focused on reviewing the cardiovascular safety of rosiglitazone, as presented by the FDA and GlaxoSmithKline. Following this two day discussion, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. ("Takeda") underscores its position that ACTOS (pioglitazone HCl) offers an established safety profile regarding the risk of CV events in people living with type 2 diabetes.

16 Jul 2010

Abortion opponents say that elective abortions may be covered in high risk pools

Abortion opponents worry that vague language used in the new health care reform bill could lead to the coverage of elective abortions in new high risk insurance pools and say that may already be starting in New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

16 Jul 2010

Glaxo announces a $2.3 billion in legal liability charges

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, announced this Thursday that its second-quarter charges related to legal cases involving the two drugs Avandia (diabetes drug) and Paxil (drug for anxiety and depression) would run up to $2.36 billion. Avandia’s use and its potential risk of causing heart problems were being debated this week by an advisory panel to the US Food & Drugs Administration (FDA).

16 Jul 2010

Scientists gather to discuss latest advances in Alzheimer's disease at AAICAD 2010

This week, nearly 4,000 scientists from around the world gathered to report and discuss the latest advances in research on treatments, risk factors, and diagnosis for the health epidemic of the 21st century – Alzheimer's disease – at the Alzheimer's Association's 2010 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu.

15 Jul 2010

Shrink Nanotechnologies files patent applications for CellAlign advanced tissue engineering technology

Shrink Nanotechnologies, Inc., an innovative nanotechnology company developing products and licensing opportunities in the solar energy production, medical diagnostics and sensors and biotechnology research and development tools businesses, announced today that certain patent applications related to its advanced tissue engineering technology platform, CellAlign™, have been filed.

15 Jul 2010

Endo acquires HealthTronics

Endo Pharmaceuticals announced today the completion of its acquisition of HealthTronics, Inc., a leading U.S. provider of urological products and services, located in Austin, Texas.

15 Jul 2010

Type 1 diabetes affects athletic performance, new study finds

A new study led by York University researchers finds that young athletes with Type 1 diabetes may experience a marked decrease in performance as a result of their blood sugar levels.

15 Jul 2010