Content about Anti-diabetic drugs

LONDON — Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval for a new treatment for Type 2 diabetes, the drug maker said.

GSK announced the submission to the FDA of a regulatory approval application for albiglutide. The drug is not approved in any market yet, and the company plans to also seek approval in the European Union this year.

GSK assumed control of albiglutide with its $3.6 billion acquisition of Human Genome Sciences, announced last July.

NEW YORK — Bristol-Myers Squibb has bought a majority stake in drug maker Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Bristol said Wednesday.

The New York-based drug maker said that 140.5 million shares of Amylin had been put up for sale at $31 per share, and that it now owned 85.55% of the San Diego-based company. Bristol said it planned to acquire the rest of Amylin's shares Wednesday as well.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — A new Walgreens study released Thursday found that a pharmacist-led training and counseling program for patients receiving an injectable diabetes medication improved medication adherence by 24%.

PHILADELPHIA — When one of Amylin Pharmaceuticals' diabetes drugs is used with mealtime insulin, both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients maintain blood sugar in the normal glucose range on a daily basis, according to two analyses presented at the 72nd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. — Medical supply manufacturer BD has released a syringe with a shorter needle designed to reduce discomfort in patients with diabetes who must inject insulin, the company said Tuesday.

BD announced the introduction of the ultra-fine 6mm needle, saying more than 80% of patients expressed a preference for it in trials, and a recent article published by the American Association of Diabetes Educators recognized the safety and efficacy of shorter needles.

The needle is designed to deliver insulin subcutaneously in adults and children.

PRINCETON, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a change to the label of a Novo Nordisk drug stating that it offers superior blood-sugar control to a competing drug made by Merck, based on results of two clinical studies, Novo Nordisk said Monday.

NEW YORK — A diabetes treatment made by Novo Nordisk is safe for pregnant women, according to a recent decision by the Food and Drug Administration.

Novo Nordisk said Monday the FDA had approved Levemir (insulin detemir [rDNA origin]) for a pregnancy category B classification, meaning that when used by pregnant women, the insulin did not increase the risk of harm to fetuses. The agency's decision was based on results of a clinical trial involving 310 women that compared Levemir to another insulin product.

The insulin is used to treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

NEW YORK — A commonly prescribed diabetes drug also may have the capability of protecting the heart, according to a Swedish study.

SUPPLIER NEWS — A drug under development by Forest Labs and Pierre Fabre has been shown to reduce symptoms of major depressive disorder, the companies said. New York-based Forest and Paris-based Pierre Fabre announced results of a phase-3 trial of levomilnacipran, saying the drug showed reductions in symptoms as early as one week after treatment was started. The companies expect results of another phase-3 trial of the drug this spring.


The market for drugs to treat diabetes — especially Type 2 diabetes — has shown quite a bit of activity lately. At the end of January, the Food and Drug Administration approved Bydureon (exenatide), a once-weekly version of the drug Byetta, which was originally developed by Alkermes and subsequently developed further under an alliance between Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly that the two companies formed in 2002. In November 2011, however, Amylin and Lilly terminated their alliance in the wake of an announced diabetes drug partnership between Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim.

SAN DIEGO — Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Alkermes announced that their Type 2 diabetes treatment now is available by prescription in U.S. pharmacies.

Bydureon (exenatide extended-release for injectable suspension) received approval from the Food and Drug Administration on Jan. 27 as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with Type 2 diabetes.