Content about Diabetes

PITTSBURGH — Generic drug maker Mylan is challenging the patent on a drug used to treat diabetes, the company said Monday.

Mylan said that it was sued by Takeda Pharmaceutical, Watson Pharmaceuticals and Andrx Labs in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in response to Mylan's filing a regulatory approval application with the Food and Drug Administration for a generic version of Actoplus Met XR (pioglitazone hydrochloride and metformin hydrochloride) extended-release tablets in the 15-mg/1,000-mg and 30-mg/1,000-mg strengths.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Many patients that are at risk of Type 2 diabetes don't believe they require lifestyle counseling to help them curb their chance of developing the disease, according to new research published in the journal Diabetes Care.

WASHINGTON — A joint program of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a new chairman.

John Buse of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine was appointed chair of the National Diabetes Education Program for a two-year term on Jan. 1. Buse succeeds Martha Funnell, who is a researcher at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, as well as co-director of the Behavioral, Clinical, and Health Systems Intervention Research Core at the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center.

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — In an effort to continue developing and studying its diabetes management products, PositiveID has teamed up with the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami and Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. News & World Report on Wednesday named the top five "easiest" diets New Year's resolutionists should follow — Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Mediterranean Diet, Slim Fast and Volumetrics — out of a total field of 25 diet plans.

CHICAGO — A group of dietitians with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has conducted a review of smartphone applications for weight management, diabetes and gluten-free eating, the organization said.

The AND — formerly the American Dietetic Association — said the purpose of the review, which includes 30 of the most popular, free iPhone apps, was to help consumers sift through the numerous apps available.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Medication adherence is as high or slightly better among patients filling 90-day prescriptions at retail versus mail order, according to a new Walgreens study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Managed Care that the chain highlighted Thursday.

According to the study, adherence levels for 90-day at retail were 77%, while at mail-order adherence levels were 76%.

WORCESTER, Mass. — An interdisciplinary research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is slated to develop a smartphone application that will help patients with advanced diabetes and foot ulcers.

NEW YORK — What new prescription and OTC drugs are top of mind among retail pharmacists? How often do pharmacists REALLY recommend private label?

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Diabetes Association on Thursday announced that Walgreens will become a national strategic partner, and that the national drug store chain again is working with the association as one of its partner charities within "Walgreens Way to Well Commitment" — a four-year, $100 million health-and-wellness initiative.

LONDON — New research on a rare genetic disorder in which the pancreas fails to grow could shed light on how the organ develops and lead to treatments for Type 1 diabetes.

In a study published in the journal Nature Genetics, an international team of researchers led by scientists at England's University of Exeter discovered a genetic mutation present in 15-in-27 people with a condition called pancreatic agenesis, finding a key role for the gene, GATA6, in the development of pacreatic cells.