Clinical News

Translating weight loss research into clinical programs is not easy. Too many clinical protocols exist in isolation, according to Donald Williamson, PhD, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA. The key gap is extending methods that contribute to weight loss into programs that maintain weight loss.

The risk of fracture is probably only slightly increased in persons with type 2 diabetes, said Peter Vestergaard, MD, PhD, DrMedSc, from the Osteoporosis Clinic, Aarhus Amtssygehus, Denmark.

Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can significantly improve glycemic control, but it will not help all patients. "Real-time CGM will add significantly to glucose management for some people, but not for all," said Irl Hirsch, MD, University of Washington, Seattle. "Human factors make all the difference between success and failure. Some patients will never figure it out. That?s why real-time control is so challenging.

Good glycemic control is not sufficient to relieve painful diabetic neuropathy, necessitating investigation of other modalities to achieve analgesic efficacy. Dan Ziegler, MD, German Diabetes Clinic, German Diabetes Center, and professor of internal medicine, Leibniz Institute at the Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, provided an overview of pharmacologic treatments that have been explored for painful diabetic neuropathy and the success achieved with each.

Islet cell transplants are effective in both the short- and long-term in freeing patients with diabetes from insulin injections and have proven to be safe, said Bernhard J. Hering, MD. The use of embryonic pig pancreatic precursor tissue as the source of islets appears promising and would expand the number of transplant recipients, which is currently limited by number of potential donors.

Take another look at the popular hypothesis that suggests type 2 diabetes has an acute effect on the secretion of GLP-1 and that lower GLP-1 secretion has an acute effect on insulin. It doesn?t work that way, said Michael Nauck, MD, PhD, Diabeteszentrum Bad Lauterberg, Bad Lauterberg, Germany. Decreased GLP-1 secretion is not part of the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at Stanford University are reporting positive results in healing diabetic wounds with a pharmaceutical agent already approved by the FDA?but only in mice so far.

Clinicians and type 2 diabetes patients have a new worry: hepatic steatosis, or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Liver disease is a less-obvious problem than kidney disease but may have equally grave consequences.

Endothelial dysfunction is both a marker for and a cause of diabetic complications. Researchers are teasing out pathways that involve oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, said Per-Henrik Groop, MD, PhD, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. The challenge is in finding drugs that show the same activity in vivo that they show in cell studies or animal models.

Forget the arguments over fit and fat in the development of diabetes and the resulting complications. Both fitness and fatness can be addressed by the same prescription: physical activity.

Intensive blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes resulted in a significant reduction in the risk of microvascular complications compared with standard blood glucose control. This was driven by a reduction in the occurrence of nephropathy, in the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron-MR Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) study.

Periodontal disease makes glycemic control more difficult in patients with type 2 diabetes, said George W. Taylor, DrPH, DMD, associate professor of dentistry, School of Dentistry and Public Health at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Aetna reports that its MTM programs have worked due to pharmacist interventions

Two supermarket chains follow in Wal-Mart's footsteps by offering 90-day supplies of generics at $10.

Kroger and Wal-Mart recently announced enhancments to their in store pharmaices $4 generic drug programs.

Novalar Pharmaceuticals granted approval for first dental anesthesia reversal agent, phentolamine mesylate (OraVerse).

Wisconsin Pharmacy Collaborative launches pilot medication therapy management program.

The American College of Cardiology meeting spotlights ENHANCE study on Vytorin

Using research from several sources, the authors have compiled a table listing the drugs that are sensitive to light and moisture

A new guide spells out how to treat pregnant women with asthma without hurting the mother and fetus

Traditional beta-blockers may no longer be the best choice for initial treatment of hypertension but vasodilatory beta-blockers show promise.

The Joint Commission issues a sentinel event alert to warn hospitals about drug errors involving kids

The feds have proposed more rules to tighten the marketing of Medicare Advantage and Part D plans.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will require NPI numbers on claims submitted after May 23, 2008.

A large group of physicians, pharmacists, and patients have pressed Congress to urge FDA to rescind its policy that bars the use of compounded estriol to treat menopause.

PharmaCentra is launching WellTouch First Fill to encourage patients to get their first prescription orders filled.

Wal-Mart has expanded its $4 generic offer to cover discounts for 90-day supplies and OTCs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued an FAQ that explains about the use of a non-NPI for prescribers who are not covered entities.

Since three steroids have a high potential for drug abuse and trafficking, the Drug Enforcement Administration wants to classify them as Schedule III controlled substances.

An expert contends that pharmacists should learn about pharmacogenetics and get into the field now