Diabetes

PRINCETON, N.J. — Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk is partnering with cooking show host Paula Deen to launch a campaign to help adults find ways to manage challenges associated with Type 2 diabetes, the company said Tuesday.

Deen and her sons, Bobby and Jamie, star in a series of videos as part of the Diabetes in a New Light initiative, in which Deen is sharing her personal diabetes story for the first time.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration's latest message to consumers and healthcare professionals seems like a no-brainer: "Insulin pens are not for sharing."

But the agency said it knew of two undisclosed hospitals that it said had reused the cartridge components of insulin pens in administering insulin to more than 2,000 patients, though the hospitals reportedly changed the pens themselves.

NEW YORK — MagnaCare, a health plan management company, on Thursday announced its partnership with Telcare on that company's new wireless-enabled blood glucose meter. Through this partnership, MagnaCare's clients will be among the first in the country to receive the Telcare BGM meter.

MANNHEIM, Germany — Roche on Wednesday announced it has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for its Accu-Chek Nano SmartView blood-glucose monitoring system. The meter is smaller than a standard credit card, employs a large backlit display and does not require any manual coding or code key for enhanced ease of use, the company stated. It also offers improved functions such as customizable test reminders, pre- and postmeal markers and average glucose calculation.

SAN DIEGO — A special focus on its diabetes franchise will define Amylin Pharmaceuticals' corporate strategy, the company's chief executive said at a recent conference sponsored by J.P. Morgan.

WASHINGTON — CVS Caremark's chief healthcare strategy officer on Tuesday outlined how the company's integrated pharmacy-based program for such chronic diseases as diabetes, called Pharmacy Advisor, increased medication adherence rates and physician initiation of prescriptions for concomitant medications to improve patient health.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Winn-Dixie on Tuesday joined the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance, an initiative aimed at tipping the scales against the epidemic of diabetes, prediabetes and obesity by expanding access to community-based programs that use evidence-based approaches to help prevent and control 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.