NEWS BRIEFS
NEWS BRIEFS
Texas Diabetes Institute opens in San Antonio
The Texas Diabetes Institute, a joint venture for diabetes treatment, education and research by the University Health System and the University of Texas Health Science Center, opened in San Antonio in early May.
The 153,000 square-foot, $28 million facility, specially targeting Type 2 diabetes, is uniquely designed to allow for a continuum of care, including early prevention, patient education, routine treatment, research and statewide professional and physician training.
Advances in the treatment of erectile dysfunction
Approximately 50% of all diabetic men suffer from erectile dysfunction caused by the disease. Reports have shown Viagra (sildenafil) can often be an effective treatment. Here are some other screenings and treatments becoming available.
American Medical Systems of Minnetonka, MN, has developed NEVA, a home monitoring system that measures several parameters of nocturnal erectile events to help urologists identify the extent of a patient’s erectile dysfunction and help select treatments.
ArginMax, produced by The Daily Wellness Co. of Mountain View, CA, is a compound of herbs, amino acids, vitamins and minerals the company says assists in the production of nitric oxide, the signaling molecule for male erection.
The over-the-counter supplement contains gingko biloba, American ginseng, Korean ginseng, L-Arginine, vitamins A, C, E, B complex, selenium and zinc. In addition, the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston has opened an Internet erectile dysfunction discussion site. The Web site can be found at: www.joslin.org/education/ library/sexualdysfunction.html.
The site includes a brief interactive quiz to help both men and women discover if they have sexual dysfunction, suggested ways to approach the subject with a partner and a detailed discussion of various treatment options available.
No-strip monitor introduced
The first "no-strip" blood glucose monitor available in the United States has been introduced by Bayer Corp.
The Glucometer DEX Diabetes Care System contains a cartridge that enables diabetics to perform ten tests before replacing the cartridge and an electronic memory that stores up to 100 test results.
The monitor draws a small amount of blood into a test sensor and makes results available in about 30 seconds. The company says the unit will retail for about $70, which is comparable to the cost of other types of monitors.
FDA panel recommends rosiglitazone approval
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs advisory committee in late April unanimously supported the approval of rosiglitazone (to be marketed under the brand name Avandia by SmithKline Beecham) as a monotherapy and in combination with metformin for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. The recommendation is expected to be followed by full FDA approval within a few weeks.
Avandia is being offered as an alternative to another drug in the thiazolidinedione class, troglitazone (marketed as Rezulin by Warner-Lambert) after at least 35 cases of acute liver failure, including 28 deaths, were reported among patients taking the drug.
The FDA now recommends the use of Rezulin only in combination therapy, but said that the substantial benefits of the drug outweigh the risks of liver failure.
Shortly after the advisory panel’s recommendation in favor of Avandia, SmithKline Beecham announced it had entered into an agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb to co-promote the drug in the United States.
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