Diabetes

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for Type 2 diabetes, the agency said Monday.

The FDA announced the approval of Tradjenta (linagliptin), made by Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and German drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim.

“This approval provides another treatment option for the millions of Americans with Type 2 diabetes,” FDA Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products director Mary Parks said. “It is effective when used alone or when added to existing treatment regimens.”

SALT LAKE CITY — One of the basic functions of humor is to make people feel better about difficult situations. A group of software developers has incorporated that idea into a new app for Apple iPhones, iPods and iPads for people living with diabetes.

The app, called “Shot in the Arm,” made by Nashsmile, delivers brief and simple diabetes management advice, as well as humor — for example, ways to handle an insulin reaction and jokes, such as “Whoever said ‘no man is an island’ has never seen my stomach in the bath tub.”

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The link between high-fat diets and Type 2 diabetes has been known for a long time, but researchers at the University of North Carolina said they’ve found out how that link occurs.

Led by UNC at Chapel Hill School of Medicine professor Jenny Ting, the team found that the key contributor to Type 2 diabetes is a diet high in saturated fat, but not unsaturated fat. Such diets cause immune cells to produce interleukin-1beta, an inflammatory protein.

ATLANTA — According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Wednesday, young people with diabetes face substantially higher medical costs than children and teens without the disease. The study found annual medical expenses for youth with diabetes were $9,061, compared with $1,468 for youth without the disease.

INDIANAPOLIS — Drug maker Eli Lilly will get at least two more years of patent exclusivity on a drug used to treat depression, anxiety and pain resulting from diabetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia, thanks to a court order issued Wednesday.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruled to forbid Wockhardt and other generic drug companies from selling generic versions of Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) until patent protection expires, which is expected to occur in June 2013.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Northeast supermarket chain Price Chopper will expand several of its health-and-wellness programs to combat diabetes as part of its participation in the American Pharmacists Association Foundation’s Project Impact: Diabetes initiative, the chain said.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Diabetes patients who adhere to their medication therapies have a significantly lower risk of hospitalization, according to a new study scheduled for presentation this week at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s 23rd annual meeting and showcase in Minneapolis.

The study, conducted by pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics using data from more than 15,000 patients, found that medication adherence among diabetes patients cut the risk of hospitalization by 31%, compared with patients who were not compliant.

The Midwest is known for flat landscapes and fertile farm fields stretching to the horizon, but it also is home to one of the country’s oldest and most successful mass merchandise chains — one with a long history of strong emphasis on pharmacy programs.


Where a growing number of chains have adopted generic discount programs, Meijer has taken to giving many drugs away for free. The list of medications that customers can obtain at no charge now includes metformin for Type 2 diabetes, prenatal vitamins and most antibiotics.