Diabetes

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly are seeking regulatory approval for an experimental drug to treat Type 2 diabetes, the companies said Monday.

BI and Lilly announced the submission of a regulatory application to the Food and Drug Administration for empagliflozin. The drug belongs to a new drug class known as SGLT2 inhibitors, which work by removing excess glucose through the urine by blocking its reabsorption in the kidneys. The companies are testing the drug in a late-stage clinical trial for which they plan to enroll 14,500 patients.

MILPITAS, Calif. — LifeScan on Monday initiated a voluntary recall and replacement for all of its OneTouch VerioIQ blood-glucose meters in the United States, effective immediately.

BAGSVÆRD, Denmark — A drug made by Novo Nordisk for Type 2 diabetes produced a 6% loss of weight in a trial of the drug in obese patients, the company said.

The Danish drug maker announced results of a 56-week phase-3 trial to investigate the potential of Victoza (liraglutide) to produce and maintain weight loss in overweight and obese patients with Type 2 diabetes.

PITTSBURGH — Mylan has settled a patent-infringement lawsuit filed by Shionogi over its generic version of a drug for diabetes, Mylan said.

The generic drug maker said that under the agreement, it can launch a generic version of Shionogi's Fortamet (metformin hydrochloride) extended-release tablets in the 500-mg and 1,000-mg strengths on Aug. 1.

Metformin hydrochloride extended-release tablets in those two strengths had sales of about $125 million during the 12-month period that ended in September, according to IMS Health.

CALABASH, N.C. — It seems that Fluffy is getting a little fluffy as a new survey indicates that pet obesity is on the rise, particularly among cats.

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found in its sixth annual National Pet Obesity Awareness Day survey that 52.5% of dogs and 58.3% of cats were overweight or obese, meaning that about 80 million dogs and cats are at increased risk for weight-related disorders such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure and cancers. The survey included 1,485 dogs and 450 cats.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Drug maker Merck has hired celebrity chef and cookbook author Leticia Moreinos Schwartz as a spokeswoman to reach out to Hispanics living with Type 2 diabetes, the drug maker said Friday.

Sales of glucose meters were slightly up over the holidays, reaching $67.7 million for the 12 weeks ended Dec. 30 across U.S. multi-outlets, according to SymphonyIRI Group data.

With a new diabetes diagnosis being made once every 21 seconds, coupled with the coming expansion of Medicaid requirements across at least some states, there will be a significant consumer demand for blood-glucose meters and the test strips that supply them for some time to come.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The cost of diabetes has increased by more than $70 billion over the past five years, according to new research from the American Diabetes Association.

The ADA announced the release of a report estimating that the total costs of diagnosed diabetes had risen 41%, from 2007's $174 billion to $245 billion in 2012. The report, Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2012, was commissioned by the ADA and addresses increased financial burden, health resources used and lost productivity associated with the disease.