On January 25th, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Victoza (liraglutide) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a problem with the way the body responds to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps prevent sugar (glucose) from building up in the blood.
Nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes. According to the Connecticut Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, about 6.2% of the Connecticut adult population have been diagnosed with diabetes. “Diabetes is a leading cause of death and disability, with more than 1.5 million new cases diagnosed annually," said Mary Parks, M.D., director, Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
According to IMS Health, a Norwalk, Connecticut-based company that tracks prescription trends, diabetes drugs were the fourth-best selling medications in 2008, with $27 billion in global sales.
"Controlling blood sugar levels is very important to preventing or reducing the long term complications of diabetes, and Victoza offers certain patients with type 2 diabetes a treatment option for controlling their blood glucose levels," said Dr. Parks.
Victoza is a once-daily injection designed to help the pancreas make more insulin and help lower blood sugar levels. The manufacturer of Victoza (Novo Nordisk) expects to introduce Victoza in the U.S. market in 4 - 6 weeks.
One possible side effect of Victoza is pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Victoza should be used with caution in people with a history of pancreatitis and should not be used in people at risk for medullary thyroid cancer. The FDA approved Victoza with a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy to help doctors and their patients understand the risks of Victoza and to make sure the benefits of the drug outweigh the risk of acute pancreatitis and the potential risk of medullary thyroid cancer.
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Comments
A diabetic diet guide on how to manage different type of diabetes www.DiabetesMeal.info
Managing meals is hard to do, but it's very important for diabetics. THX for the info 'pearlstarr'.
Other resources include:
- the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org)
- the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (jdrf.org) - for children with type 1 diabetes
- Free brochure "4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes. Your Life." (bit.ly/9SXuKt) from the US Dept of Health & Human Services. Download, view or order a free hardcopy.
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