Avandia Roundup: Sales Drop, GlaxoSmithKline Cut Jobs

A diabetes drug known to contribute to heart complications, fluid retention and weight gain continues to fall from its once-lofty perch. Avandia was at one time a giant in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, but has fallen on hard times as more and more physicians move their patients away from Avandia, to alternative diabetes drugs that carry less risk.

And then there was the death June 13th of beloved newsman Tim Russert of NBC's Meet the Press. The Washington Bureau Chief for the network had just returned from Italy late on June 12th, and after taping a program for his weekly MSNBC television show, was taping voiceovers for Meet the Press in an isolation booth when he suddenly collapsed, and died a short while later.

The cause of Russert's death has been reported as a fatal ventricular arrhythmia caused by a fresh blood clot in the left anterior descending coronary artery, a portion of the heart often referred to as the 'widow-maker' if it fails. Russert was known to suffer from atherosclerosis (aysymptomatic coronary artery disease), which resulted in the hardening of his arteries. It has been reported that he was managing his heart condition with medication and exercise, and had passed a stress test with flying colors as recently as April 29th.

He was also a diabetic.

Avandia: Sales of Diabetic Drug Gutted in Wake of Concern

When the American Diabetes Association convenes here June 6th for their annual meeting, there is little doubt that amongst the topics up for discussion will be the fall of Avandia, a drug which has been linked to serious heart and liver problems, and weight gain--and what might be in the pipeline to replace it.

You know there will be something coming, given the size of the diabetes market. Roughly 21 million Americans suffer from some form of diabetes--that represents seven percent of the total population--and diabetic drug sales last year hit $12 billion.

Why not just have a no carb diet?

The body needs insulin to process carbs. I've always thought that if you had diabetes, the one way to control it without having to take insulin shots would be to have a no carb diet.

Would this be a good thing or a bad thing?

Type 3 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas stops making insulin. The body must be injected with insulin after every meal in order for the body to process food.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas either doens't make enough or the body for some reason isn't processing the insulin properly. Diet and exercise can be used to control this type of diabetes.

Type 3 diabetes-- Is there a type 3 diabetes?

Doctor's still concerned about Avandia

A new report suggests that doctors are continuing to be increasingly concerned with regard to the safety and efficacy of Avandia, with that concern increasing nine-fold since the once-popular GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug blasted into the headlines last spring.

It has been found that nearly three-quarters of physicians surveyed, and one-third of primary care physicians and endocrinologists have switched their patients away from Avandia to other products for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

New Approach For Diabetes

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, in their quest to come out with a drug to curb the 'diabetes epidemic' have developed a medication tailored after a hormone released by Gila monster lizards. The synthetic form of the hormone is called exenatide (Byetta).

Animal studies show that exenatide is effective in controlling blood sugar, helps the pancreas regrow insulin-producing cells, and might be the only drug to actually reverse the disease itself, reports from the research at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine said.

Avandia Maker Cited By FDA

In what appears to be an epidemic amongst drug manufacturers, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken Avandia maker GlaxoSmithKline to task for withholding information about the drug long suspected of harboring a higher risk of heart attack than patients on other diabetes drugs.

A stern warning letter was forwarded to Glaxo on March 25th, and posted to the FDA web site one week ago. A spokesperson for the manufacturer chalked up the oversight to "inadvertent omissions."

However, that's not how the FDA saw it, calling the violations "serious" and ordering the company to take prompt action.

New Diabetes Drug Study Insignificant?

When a drug is vilified as much as diabetes drug Avandia has for the risk of heart attack, one could understand the zeal with which a manufacturer approaches any piece of seemingly good news. This most recent carrot came in the form of a small study, which appears to suggest that Avandia can slow the progression of atherosclerosis in diabetic patients who have undergone cardiac bypass surgery.

However, Dr. Steven Nissen, noted cardiologist and chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, says not so fast. "This was an intravascular ultrasound study, not a morbidity-mortality study," he said in a statement.

Type 2 Diabetes and Tea

There has been a lot of talk about having green tea to help with controlling blood sugar levels. Green tea is also helpful for many other ailments, so they say.

New research in Scotland has uncovered another type of tea that may be helpful in regulating blood sugar levels.

Diabetics Find Ally In Chicos

Chicos and mangoes, both carbohydrate-packed fruits, have been found to slow down digestion and absorption of glucose or sugar, according to researchers Dr. Leonora Panlasigue and Dr. Ma. Teresa Guevarra from the Phil. Department of Science and Technology.

They said that chico is very diabetic-friendly because of it's high fiber and fructose (fruit sugar) with a good balance of anti-nutrients such as sapotin and achrasaponin, both credited for slowing down glucose digestion and absorption.

Avandia recall and side effect info diabetes patients need to know

Long suspected of having a relationship to heart failure amongst other Avandia side effects, Avandia was recently tagged with the dubious distinction of being the only diabetes drug in its class to be identified as having a link to heart attack, a more serious concern than heart failure. Already carrying a black box warning for the latter, Avandia maker GlaxoSmithKline was ordered by the US Food and Drug Administration in fall 2007 to add a second black box warning, with reference to a risk for heart attack.

However, it may be too little too late for many patients. And it also may be too little, too late for Avandia. From a PR standpoint, the drug may already be dead, and the numbers tell the story.

Health Dangers Of Having Diabetes

Diabetes can lie undetected for several years. However, it can cause serious health dangers. These include blindness, cataract, thrombosis, and nephropathy. To avoid these consequences, it is important that prevention and treatment methods be used by the diabetic patient.

Latest On Diabetes Research

Taiwanese company engaged in diabetes research has been working on the theory that most forms of diabetes are due to a deficiency in the body of a natural element called GTF or Glucose Tolerance Factor. GTF's most important component is trivalent chromium. When these two elements are found low in the body, human cells are unable to absorb glucose and hyperglycemia or high blood sugar occurs, according to endoctrinologist, Dr. Frank Mao Chiu Hung, of Maxluck Biotechnology Corp. and the Taiwan Chung Hsing University.

Effects of Diabetic Neutropathy

Diabetic Neuropathy is a side effect of having diabetes. It occurs when your nerves are damaged by your condition. Diabetes can have many different effects upon the body if you do not keep your blood sugars regulated. These side effects can cause you to become more ill. Hence, even if you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is important that you still try to keep as healthy as possible. So what happens if you suffer from diabetic neuropathy?

Practise Yoga To Reduce Blood Sugar Levels

Treating diabetes requires a multi-faceted approach. It takes more than changing your eating habits to get your blood glucose levels under control. One important aspect is to ensure that you choose an activity that can help reduce your blood sugar levels. For this, yoga is said to be helpful.

The benefits of doing yoga are tremendous. A yoga lifestyle is known for being natural and healthy for you, due to the increased attention to the whole body, rather than just specific parts of the body. This is great for diabetes, because diabetes affects your entire body, rather than just one part. Yoga can help improve the immune system and the circulatory system. It also helps to reduce stress and anxiety and increase energy flow to the body. All of these work together to reduce your blood sugar levels.

Are you pre-diabetic?

If you have had a visit with your medical doctor recently and he/she told you that you were pre-diabetic, then you will definitely want to read this.

Pre-diabetes means that your blood sugar levels are approaching a level that could indicate that you are just on the verge of being diagnosed with diabetes.

There are 4 very important steps that you can take to prevent an official diagnosis of diabetes.

5 tips for managing diabetes

Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you can become overwhelmed with all the information and daily focus required to manage your diabetes.

Regular visits with your medical doctor can help to alleviate any concerns that you have about your diabetes.

Besides visiting your doctor, there are 5 things that you can do that will greatly help and positively affect your condition.

Sleepovers and Diabetes

Diabetes is a devastating disease, especially for children. It involves a complete change of lifestyle. Gone are the days of your child eating or drinking whatever they want whenever they want.

With diabetes, there must be constant monitoring of your blood sugar levels as well as a complete re-look at diet and especially snacking.

With all the worries of diabetes, should you let your child sleepover at a friends house?

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They claim to have the cure for diabetes

There are multiple websites that claim to have the miracle "cure" or treatment for diabetes. Sales letters boast of miraculous transformations and life-changing products. So, if you have diabetes, which one of these products should you buy?

Possible Cause of Type 1 Diabetes

Managing type 1 diabetes is one thing, while finding the cause and cure is another. New research on mice indicates a connection between nerve cells and the development of Type 1 diabetes. Findings could lead to more specific treatment for pre-diabetics, even help those who already have Type 1 Diabetes.

Free Diabetes Management Tools

As consumers, we always have our ears open when we hear the words FREE attached to anything. There's always the doubt that creeps in---Is it really free? What's the catch. And isn't there always a catch?

Well, there's no catch to this one--a FREE diabetes management tool--guaranteed to help you manage your diabetes. See details.

Are you in a bad mood?

Your mood is a very powerful force that can affect every aspect of your life. It affects how you react to situations and events, how you feel, how much you get done in a day and much more.

Recent research indicates that the blood glucose readings of diabetics can be affected by mood.

Do you have just a touch of diabetes?

Many patients were diagnosed in the past with what is called borderline diabetes. Basically this would mean that their blood glucose levels weren't really high. Before 1997, doctors would not diagnose diabetes unless the fasting blood glucose was greater than 140 mg/dl.

The criteria for being diagnosed with diabetes today is a little different, and a new term 'pre-diabetes' has been added.

How to lower triglycerides

Triglycerides are a kind of fat that we have in our body. They are also found in certain foods. Our body needs some triglycerides, but people with diabetes tend to have higher levels of triglycerides.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes keep their triglyceride levels below 150 mg/dl.

There are many different things that you can do to keep your levels low, even if you are taking medications.

I'll have a cup of coffee, please!

Diabetes is a silent epidemic in our country today. Nearly 21 million people have diabetes and some don't even know they have diabetes.

The complications and health issues associated with diabetes make this a disease that cannot go untreated without severe consequences.

Recent research shows surprising results about coffee drinkers and the risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Festive Holiday Planning For The Diabetics

If you have diabetes, you may find that the holiday season leaves you depressed during meal times. After all, holiday seasons, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas, are celebrated usually with a delicious spread right across the tables.

It may be difficult to keep your blood sugar levels stable during this time of the year. What may be served on the table is a spread that you cannot heartily tuck in, unlike the rest of your family members. Having said that, it is possible to still enjoy yourself; all it takes is some preparation in advance.

The biggest concern among diabetics

If you have diabetes, there are probably many things that concern you. Every day you must monitor your blood sugar, watch what you eat and plan your day out very carefully.

Recent research findings show the most important concern among diabetics.

Tips For Coping With Your Child's Type 1 Diabetes

When you first find out your child has a chronic disease like Type 1 diabetes, the news would have probably devastated you. You soon find yourself and your child thrust into a world of injections, testing blood sugars, and changing eating patterns. You would begin to ask yourself questions about the future life of your child. These include
- How do I tell my child that he/she has this disease?
- What do I tell the school, friends, or family?
- Can my child still lead a normal life?

Beware of Fake Test Strips

It seems that there is always a certain risk associated with any over the counter or prescription medication that we take. The products could be tainted, the wrong prescription or simply a placebo.

Recently, the government has reported fake test strips, used for monitoring blood sugar levels, and warns diabetic patients to be on the lookout for these strips.

Honestly, who are these people that would produce fake test strips and why would they do such a thing?

Diabetes Prevention and Treatment Through Relaxation Therapy

Is diabetes prevention possible through managing stress? How is stress and diabetes tied together? This article examines the relationship between stress and diabetes prevention.

If you already have Type 2 diabetes, you may find it difficult to keep your blood sugar levels at appropriate levels especially when you are under great stress. It is likely that your diabetes condition will worsen with your perception of mounting pressure. This is not good news as both stress and diabetes together can lead to other more severe health problems. Examples of other health problems are kidney disease, blindness, limb amputation, and cardiovascular problems.

FDA Approves New Drug for Type 2 Diabetes

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, there are nearly 21 million people in the country with diabetes. Of the 21 million people with diabetes, 6 million don't even know that they have diabetes.

Of those diagnosed with diabetes, 90%-95% have what is called Type 2 diabetes. Today, the FDA approved a new drug that may help those with Type 2 Diabetes.

Tips For Diabetes Prevention In Men

It is best to prevent diabetes from developing in the first place rather than find a treatment or cure for it. Diabetes prevention in men is possible with some changes to diet and lifestyle. There are a couple of ways by which you can reduce your risk of getting this condition.

Recently, the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study that included forty-one thousand men. These men, who had no history of diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular problems, were followed over a period of twelve years.

How Do You Know If You Have Diabetes?

Diabetes Mellitus is a major concern to most people because once you have it, it can only be controlled , not cured. A lot of research is still going on to find a cure for diabetes and the most promising find is gene therapy but this remains to be a promise yet of the future.

Dr. Josephine Carlos-Rabaca, a lady doctor from the Philippines cites the incapacitating effects of diabetes. These include blindness, stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and impotence. These result only if diabetes has been present and uncontrolled for some time. It is thus very important that diabetes be recognized early and treated correctly.

How do you know if you have diabetes? The warning signs and symptoms, according to the lady doctor, are the following :

* Frequent Thirst - This may present as dryness of the throat at the mildest. As the blood sugar goes up, the more thirsty you feel, frequent thirst as a result of water loss which is brought about by frequent urination, another sign of diabetes.

* Frequent urination - A person normally urinates four to five times in a day, one to two times or not at all during the night sleep. the important thing is to recognize more frequent urination than your usual. The frequent urination is the result of high blood sugar. The kidney can hold back about a level of 180 mg/dl sugar in the blood. If blood sugar rises above this level, then it passes the kidney and goes out of the urine, sugar attracts water with it so more urine is formed. Since urine is sweet in the diabetic, it may also attract ants to it.

Ten Essential Tips to Living With Diabetes

It may be pretty overwhelming initially when you first found out that you have diabetes and learned that you need to be vigilant about taking care of your health. You have to ensure that you check your blood sugar levels, be watchful of your diet and to exercise regularly. Making all the lifestyle changes take a little getting used to. But once you are on your way, you can find that you can still pretty much enjoy your life. Here are 10 essential tips to living with diabetes.

1. Checking your blood glucose levels regularly is the most important thing that you can do to preserve your health. Keeping tabs on your sugar level will help you to prevent complications from your diabetes. Your blood glucose levels should be below 120 mg/dl before meals and 180 mg/dl after meals for proper control.

You need to read this if you have Diabetes.

Managing your diabetes properly is one of the key factors to staying alive and out of the hospital. A recent study shows that 81% of people with diabetes that do not manage it properly are more likely to die than diabetic people that do manage their diabetes properly.

Detecting The Symptoms Of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

What is diabetic ketoacidosis? This is when you have acids, called ketones that build up in your blood supply, which signals that your diabetes is not under control. Ketones are found in your urine when you are not getting enough insulin into your body. These acids can be fatal because they poison your body.

If you have Type 2 diabetes, then you will rarely see this happen. However, if you have Type 1 diabetes, then diabetic ketoacidosis can be a real problem. Type 2 diabetics do sometimes experience a similar condition called hyperosmolar nonketotic coma, but it is most common in elderly diabetics.

Diabetes Prevention Through Managing Stress At Work

Stress plays a big part in triggering or aggravating all major illnesses; including cardiovascular problems, strokes and also, diabetes. Researchers have determined that work related stress is linked to many metabolic syndromes including high cholesterol and triglycerides and high blood pressure. By managing your stress levels, therefore, diabetes prevention is possible.

Diabetes is fast becoming a common affliction. There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. About two thirds of the 20.8 million people have been diagnosed, unfortunately, the remaining one third are unaware that they have the disease.

Waist Size Can Determine Your Risk For Diabetes

People that are overweight or obese stand a greater chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes prevalent among adults today--nearly 90 to 95% of all diabetic adults have type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes produce insulin, but either do not make enough insulin or their bodies do not use the insulin they make. Most of the people who have this type of diabetes are overweight.

Recent research findings indicate that there might be a more accurate body measurement besides overall weight to indicate an increased risk for type 2 diabetes.

How To Manage Your Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes is a killer disease. It can lead to kidney failure, heart disease, neuropathy, blindness, and much more. If you have diabetes, you must take control of it immediately.

Type 1 diabetes is the hardest type to control. It is also called juvenile diabetes, as it is common to get type 1 diabetes when you are a child.

In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, which is needed to take sugar (glucose) from the blood to the cells. This results in very high blood sugar counts and this is the major cause of many of the serious complications that may develop.

Diabetes is more prevalent than cancer

Scientists and researchers are not quite sure what causes diabetes. They also do not know yet how to cure it. The U.S. Center for Disease Control + Prevention and the National Institute of Health have released statistics on diabetes in young people that indicate a more focused effort to find the cause and cure for diabetes is needed.

Diabetes Awareness

It used to be that diabetes was a remote disease, much like cancer. With the increase in diabetes among Americans it seems like everyone knows of someone, whether it be a family member or a neighbor, that has either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

The repercussions of diabetes on our society are great. Evidence of this can be seen in arrests being made in Australia.

Are you at risk for Type 2 diabetes? Maybe you should take an Anti-Diabetic drug!

As scientists learn more about what causes diabetes, they can develop more methods not only to treat diabetes, but also to prevent it. The 3 major factors that contribute to Type 2 diabetes is obesity, poor diet and a sedentary life style. Researchers based in Canada have completed a 3-year test on the drug Avandia, which is used for treatment and prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

Genetic testing can change treatment for Type 1 Diabetes

I can only imagine the overwhelming feeling of being told that you or someone in your family has Type 1 diabetes. Just knowing that you will need insulin shots several times a day for the rest of your life just to stay alive is quite a shock. Research is ongoing for Diabetes and recent discoveries offer alternative options for some with Type 1 Diabetes

Are you at risk for diabetes?

There are several risk factors that people with diabetes have in common. Find out if you might be at risk for diabetes.

Is there a type 3 diabetes?

Recent research indicates that there is a third type of diabetes that is related to Alzheimer's disease.

Diabetes Symptoms

You could have diabetes right now and not have any symptoms.

Diabetes and Foot Health

One of the many complications from Diabetes is foot problems. Diabetes is the leading cause of limb amputation in the country. Here are some tips for selecting the right shoes if you have diabetes.

Diabetes and Kidney Disease

The kidney is a vital to filtering and cleaning your blood. One of the many complications that can arise from diabetes is kidneyy damage. Statistics show that 20-30% of people with diabetes eventually develop some kidney damage.

Diabetes causes

Hello, I'll take a double whopper bacon cheeseburger, fries and a coke please.

Attendant: Would you like to down size that?

What are The Different Types of Diabetes?

Diabetes is a very treatable condition. Diabetes is a disease with abnormally high levels of glucose in the bloodstream. The pancreas produces insulin and insulin is used to lower blood glucose levels. If the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, your body will develop diabetes.

Some of the symptoms of diabetes include increased desire to urinate, extreme hunger and thirst, and chronic fatigue. The proper diagnostic test for diabetes is via a blood sugar test. When you have diabetes, major complications can arise. These include disease of the blood vessels, blindness, kidney damage, and damage to the nerves and heart.

Diabetes: How It Can Happen to You

The statistics of Americans who have diabetes is staggering. There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.

Damage to the body may occur way before the disease is diagnosed. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you can become disabled by the health ailments that you are inflicted with.

Type 1 Diabetes, Can you prevent it?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin (in contrast to type 2 diabetes, in which cells stop absorbing the insulin the body produces). Insulin is necessary to metabolize glucose and supply the body with energy.

Recently there has been a lot of research that may indicate that all types of diabeties are preventable with proper excercise and nutrition.

Diabetes, devastating yet manageable

Diabetes is a serious condition. It is a chronic disorder of carbohydrates, fat and protein metabolism, characterized by fasting elevation of blood sugar level and a greatly increased risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and loss of nerve functions.

The good news is there is a great deal that you can do to help manage the condition at an early stage. Being informed truly is the best medicine. Learning as much as you can about your diabetes, how to control your blood sugar, complications and how to prevent them, can help you stay healthy. As always, be sure to consult your physician first before implementing or changing diet or exercise routines or taking any over the counter medications or nutritional supplements.

5 Tips to Dealing With Low Blood Sugar!

Usually when we talk about Diabetes we focus on high blood sugar, and keeping it down, but what often gets overlooked in discussion are the pain in the neck low blood sugars, or hypoglycemia if you want to be technical.

If you’ve been a diabetic for a while then you know that you can usually feel the symptoms of low blood sugar pretty quickly. However, let me emphasize usually because it’s not always the case for everyone. And I can’t be perfectly sure about this, but it seems like the tighter the control is, the less you feel the affects of low blood sugar. In fact, since I’ve been keeping a tighter control with mine, I don’t feel the symptoms until the blood sugar is much lower.

Diabetes, Recognizing the Signs, and Symptoms

Discovering you have Diabetes is frightening, don't panic, people with Diabetes can live long, healthy, happy lives.

Here's the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Just about everyone has heard of diabetes. In fact, the odds are that everyone knows someone with the disease. Some people might even be aware that there are two types, but most have no clue of the differences. Really, why would they if they don’t have the disease right? Well today you’re going to learn the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

In an earlier article, I started it off with the title “So You Can’t Eat Sugar?” It’s a question that I get all the time when I let someone know I’m a diabetic. Another common one that I’ve heard, and I know that us skinny diabetics (usually Type 1) get is ‘but you’re not fat’.

Know thy Food Label

Whether you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or simply losing weight, you want to eat a healthy diet and focus on foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, and balanced in fats, carbs, proteins.

There is only one way to incorporate healthy foods into our diet and that is to make the decision to do it! Practical information about the nutrition and safety of the foods we consume is absolutely vital in making this decision.

Diabetes and the Flu, a Dangerous Duo!

Important: Before I begin explaining about the dilemma with flu and diabetes, I just want to say that it’s extremely important that if you begin to notice flu symptoms, or any vomiting whatsoever, you contact your doctor immediately. Tell him what you’re feeling, and stay in contact with him throughout, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you.

What was supposed to be a nice extended Columbus Day weekend, camping with my family, turned out to be somewhat of a nightmare.

Symptoms of Diabetes: “So How Did You Find Out You Were a Diabetic?

I was at home for about a month from a class graduation trip to Cancun Mexico when I started to notice some weird things going on with my body. I pretty much wrote it off as an extended hangover for maybe the first week but it persisted and persisted some more until it finally could not be ignored.

Your body has quite a funny way of saying, “listen up idiot!”

This is what my body was saying to me.

So You Can't Eat Sugar?

Since becoming a diabetic at age seventeen, a little over fourteen years ago I must have heard that question 1000's of times. If your reading this blog and you've been a diabetic for any number of years I'm sure your smiling and shaking your head up and down.