A recent study suggests that combining a new diabetes drug with insulin may result in better blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes than those that rely on insulin alone. Not only that, this combination seems also to promote weight loss among diabetic patient that would further provide other benefits. Results of the said study was published in the online journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
According to researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, a new drug therapy using a combination of a new drug called exenatide and insulin achieved better results than using only insulin for blood sugar control. Exenatide is a relatively new drug whose active ingredient was first discovered in the saliva of a large lizard called the Gila monster which is fairly common in the Arizona desert. Researchers found out that exenatide not only helps control blood sugar but also helps promote weight loss.
The said study involved 261 participants coming from 59 centers in 5 countries. All of the participants were adults with type 2 diabetes and who were taking an insulin formulation injected once daily. The participants were then randomly assigned to receive twice daily injections of exenatide or a placebo in addition to the insulin injection that they were getting, over a 30 week period.
The results showed that of those who took exenatide, 60 percent achieved near normal blood sugar levels as compared to 35 percent on those that took a placebo. Those who took exenatide also showed an average weight loss of 4 pounds while those who took the placebo gained an average of 2 pounds. There were no difference in hypoglycemia between both groups.
Source: University of North Carolina School of Medicine. “Combining exenatide with insulin may be ‘best result ever’ for diabetes patients, study suggests.” ScienceDaily 7 December 2010. 9 December 2010 <http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/12/101206201248.htm>
Tags: blood sugar levels, Diabetes News, diabetes therapy, insulin, insulin injection, new diabetes drug, new diabetes therapy, type 2 diabetes