Diabetes News

Las Vegas – The nation's progress toward meeting Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) objectives has been mixed when it comes to kidney disease, new research presented here at the National Kidney Foundation's 2014 Spring Clinical Meetings shows.

Rates of five major diabetes-related complications have declined substantially in the last 20 years among U.S. adults with diabetes, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved GlaxoSmithKline LLC's Tanzeum (albiglutide) subcutaneous injection to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Dialysis provider Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA is teaming with the diabetes research and education organization Joslin Diabetes Center Inc. to develop renal care programs in some Joslin Affiliated Centers for patients with diabetic kidney disease. Fresenius Medical Care and Joslin will develop clinical guidelines and care delivery systems to manage high blood pressure, glucose, and nutrition in patients with diabetic kidney disease, according to a news release. In addition, the organizations will help educate patients as they prepare for the possibility of end-stage renal disease and the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation. The organizations said they will seek to improve patient outcomes while reducing unnecessary or lengthy hospitalizations, drug interactions and overall morbidity and mortality associated with uncoordinated care.

Moderate physical activity levels were associated with better prognosis in diabetic adults, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care.

A new study from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveals new aspects of how the most common drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes work. The study was published in the April 7, 2014 issue of the journal Nature Communications.

People who develop type 2 diabetes or hypertension in middle age may be more likely to suffer brain damage that can contribute to dementia as they grow older, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology and reported by HealthDay News.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has asked AstraZeneca Plc. to provide clinical trial data from saxagliptin to investigate a possible association between use of the type 2 diabetes drug and heart failure. The FDA said it made the request because of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which reported an increased rate of hospitalization for heart failure with use of saxagliptin (marketed as Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR) compared to an inactive treatment. The study did not find increased rates of death or other major cardiovascular risks, including heart attack or stroke, in patients who received saxagliptin.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement advising that all women be screened for gestational diabetes after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Farxiga (dapaglifozin) tablets to improve glycemic control, along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes. Farxiga is marketed by Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals L.P.