Diabetes drug Linagliptin shows effective reduction in blood sugar level in phase lll trial.

    DPP4 inhibitor named Linagliptin from Boehringer Ingelheim, achieves significant reductions in blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes both as a monotherapy and in combination with sulfonylurea (SU). The studies randomised patients with type 2 diabetes failing to meet target blood glucose levels with their current therapy using linagliptin (5mg once daily) or placebo, in addition to dietary advice or other therapy. In the monotherapy trial, patients treated with linagliptin showed a mean reduction in HbA1c of 0.69% compared to placebo (p<0.0001).

    Results reported at the ADA meeting showed no weight gain with linagliptin, no increase in risk of hypoglycaemia and no increase in risk of drug-drug interactions

Weight-loss drug Lorcaserin found to be effective for Diabetes Treatment

    According to new research weight-loss drug lorcaserin from Arena Pharmaceuticals and Eisai are found to be effective for diabetes treatment.

    Even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US recently declined to give their approval for the drug, FDA asked for further information about the incidence of cancer in rat studies and additional data on its effectiveness. The FDA considered lorcaserin's ability to help weight-loss in previous studies to be marginal.

    The company conducted the test on 600 people, with 37.5 per cent of patients that took lorcaserin twice a day achieving at least 5 per cent weight loss, more than double the 16.1 per cent of those who took a placebo .
Lorcaserin patients achieved a 0.9 per cent reduction in the blood sugar benchmark HbA1c, as compared to a 0.4 per cent reduction from a placebo. There was also an improvement in fasting glucose, although no big improvement in fasting insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol or blood pressure was shown.

Rosiglitazone banned in India

At last the controversial antidiabetic drug was officially withdrawn from the Indian market.

Hindu link: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article820166.ece

Gems link : http://jothydev.com/newsletter/march2010/2.html