The ADA's "Investigation" of Incretin Drugs is a Gift to the Drug Companies
You may have heard that the American Diabetes Association (ADA) had called for a review of the incretin drugs--Januvia, Onglyza, Byetta, Victoza, etc.--in response to the recent discovery, which I described HERE, that they cause abnormal patterns of growth within the pancreas of a kind that lead to both pancreatitis and cancer. The call for review can be read HERE.Sadly, this call for review has nothing to do with protecting people with diabetes, a group for whom the ADA has never had much concern, save as a source of contributions to pay the inflated salaries of its top executives.The ADA is heavily funded by drug manufac...
Source: Diabetes Update - June 14, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jenny Source Type: blogs
Has pancreatic damage from glucagon suppressing diabetes drugs been underplayed? - BMJ
BMJ 2013; 346 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f3680 (Published 10 June 2013)
Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:f3680Article
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Deborah Cohen, investigations editor
Author Affiliations
dcohen@bmj.com
Incretin mimetics have been called “the darlings of diabetes treatment” and they may soon also be licensed for treating obesity. But a BMJ investigation has found growing safety concerns linked to the drugs’ mechanism of action. Deborah Cohenasks why patients and doctors have not been told.
They’ve been touted as th...
Source: PharmaGossip - June 11, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
A Lone Voice Raises Alarms on Lucrative Diabetes Drugs - NYT
LOS ANGELES — Dr. Peter C. Butler initially declined a request by the drug maker Merck to test whether its new diabetes drug, Januvia, could help stave off the disease in rats.“I said, I’m not interested in your money, go away,” Dr. Butler recalled.Merck no doubt now wishes it had. When Dr. Butler finally agreed to do the study, he found worrisome changes in the pancreases of the rats that could lead to pancreatic cancer. The discovery, in early 2008, turned Dr. Butler into a crusader whose follow-up studies now threaten the future of not only Januvia but all the drugs in its class, which have sales of more than $9...
Source: PharmaGossip - May 31, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
FDA Approves a Highly Questionable New Diabetes Drug, Invokana
The FDA just gave its approval to the first drug in a new class of diabetes drugs, Johnson & Johnson's canagliflozin, which will be marketed in the U.S. as Invokana.New York Times: FDA Approves a New Diabetes Drug From J.&J. (May require subscription)Reuters: U.S. FDA approves Johnson & Johnson diabetes drug, canagliflozinThis class of drugs, the sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, lowers blood sugar by blocking reabsorption of glucose by the kidney and increasing its excretion in urine. The manufacturer also claims that it causes weight loss--always a potent selling point for a diabetes drug.As...
Source: Diabetes Update - March 31, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jenny Source Type: blogs
Disturbing Study: Both Families of Incretin Drugs Appear to Cause Potentially Cancerous Changes in the Pancreas
Researchers just published a study in the journal Diabetes in which they autopsied the pancreases of 20 people with diabetes, 12 of whom were taking incretin drugs as well as those of 14 people without diabetes. Most had died of stroke or head injuries, leaving their pancreases in excellent condition. The researchers wanted to see if, in fact, as claimed, the incretin drugs--the drugs that raise the concentration of GLP-1 or mimic GLP-1--cause an increase in the beta cell mass. These drugs have been promoted with the promise that they do, that they regenerate the pancreas. This is one major reason doctors prescribe them ev...
Source: Diabetes Update - March 25, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jenny Source Type: blogs
March Diabetes News Snippet Post
Here are all the news items posted in March: Jennysaid... People taking Byetta, Victoza, Januvia, and Onglyza had less heart failure than those not on these drugs. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130310164109.htmHowever, it is likely this is because Avandia and Actos CAUSE heart failure, rather than that these other drugs prevent it. People are rarely put on both families of drugs at once. It may also be because these GLP-1 related drugs are mostly prescribed to affluent, younger people with diabetes and good health insurance, while poorer people are put on the cheap sulfonylurea drugs which are now known to ...
Source: Diabetes Update - March 11, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jenny Source Type: blogs
New drugs: Exenatide – an injectable diabetic agent and Denosumab – a monoclonal antibody for postmenopausal osteoporosis
Exanatide (Byetta):
the first injectable synthetic analogue of the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)
note that the glyptins inhibit incretin breakdown and are thus incretin “enhancers” not “mimics”
PBS approved for type 2 diabetics as an addition to the combination of metformin and sulphonylurea to help lower HbA1c below 7% or as dual Rx for those who cannot tolerate metformin or a sulphonylurea.
dose:
is given bd s/c within 1 hour BEFORE meals starting at 5 mcg per dose which should be at least 6 hours apart
after 1 month, dose can be increased to 10mcg bd
main adverse effect...
Source: Oz E Medicine - emergency medicine in Australia - December 11, 2010 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Gary Tags: new drugs Source Type: blogs
