Top stories in endocrinology: FDA approves type 2 diabetes treatment, antimalarial drug provides glycemic control

Among the top stories in endocrinology last week were the FDA’s approval of a new triple combination therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes, data that showed the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine’s impact on glycemic control roughly paralleled that of canagliflozin and findings that indicated pediatric patients who added less than 2 mg of liraglutide to their metformin therapy daily reduced their HbA1c levels.

Other popular stories included a comparison of delayed-enhancement MRI vs. traditional imaging in predicting heart attack risk in adults with diabetes and a report that found that the acids in certain foods may ward off breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. – by Janel Miller

FDA approves triple combination therapy for type 2 diabetes

The FDA recently approved a once-daily, extended-release combination of the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin, the DPP-IV inhibitor saxagliptin and metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, according to a press release from AstraZeneca. Read more.

Antimalarial drug effective alternative to canagliflozin in type 2 diabetes

LOS ANGELES — Adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with a DPP-IV inhibitor plus metformin therapy experienced an improvement in glycemic control with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine that was similar to the SGLT2 inhibitor canagliflozin, according to study data presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Annual Scientific and Clinical Congress. Read more.

Liraglutide add-on lowers HbA1c in pediatric type 2 diabetes

Adding a regimen of 1.8 mg per day of liraglutide to metformin therapy can better reduce HbA1c levels in children with type 2 diabetes compared with metformin alone, according to findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies’ annual meeting. Read more.

Delayed-enhancement MRI better identifies heart attack risk in diabetes

Nearly 20% of adults with diabetes and no symptoms for cardiac disease may be at risk for unrecognized myocardial infarction, and the use of delayed-enhancement MRI may improve the identification of those at highest risk compared with traditional imaging, according to findings published in Diabetes Care. Read more.

Acids found in coffee, fruit and vegetables may help prevent breast cancer after menopause

Breast cancer risk after menopause may be lowered by as much as 65% by consuming more food and liquids with certain kinds of phenolic acids, some of which can be found in coffee, fruits and vegetables, according to findings presented at the European Congress on Obesity. Read more.