| Mannkind's Afrezza: No Real Benefits for Diabetics or Investors Joseph Krueger submits: In my last article about Mannkind's (NASDAQ:MNKD) Afrezza, I was critical about Afrezza's market acceptance given the checkered past of inhaled insulin products, its less-than-straightfoward regulatory path, and lack of improved benefit over inhaled insulin against the other injectable rapid acting insulins available. In essence, my conclusion was that although Afrezza may be a novel approach to enable diabetics to have more effective blood-glucose control, there are significant caveats to it being touted as a panacea for diabetics who need insulin and significant risks associated with its approval.In response to many comments made on the article, I felt it might be best to step back and take a look at the "big picture". In order to do this, first we must consider the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and the role of insulin in these diseases. Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, requiring the person to administer insulin to control their blood sugar. In contrast, type 2 diabetes is called insulin resistance, where the body fails to use insulin properly, requiring the person to administer extra insulin at times of greatest need (mealtime) and/or control blood sugar levels by taking drugs which increase the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas, or drugs which increase the sensitivity of the body to insulin, or drugs which decrease the rate at which glucose is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In all these cases, the goal is to control glucose levels by preventing spikes and dips throughout the day and especially meal time.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Nature Made® GreatMind - Video NATURE MADE GreatMind Brain Game Challenge Launched To Educate Adults About Cognitive Health feedproxy.google.com |
FDA Issues Hold on Avandia Study The FDA said Wednesday it's placed a partial hold on an ongoing clinical study involving Glaxo's diabetes drug Avandia. online.wsj.com |
BMS Acquisition of ZymoGenetics Highlights Competitive Hepatitis C Treatment Race Douglas Cress submits:By vandersonBristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) announced Tuesday that it had signed an agreement to acquire biopharmaceutical company ZymoGenetics (ZGEN) for $9.75 per share in cash, or approximately $885 million. Under the terms of the agreement, BMS will gain control of ZymoGenetics’ product development pipeline, which includes potential treatments for surgical bleeding, metastatic skin cancer, and atopic dermatitis.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Senator Questions McDonald's Health Plans A top Senate Democrat is asking a health insurer that provides plans for McDonald's restaurant workers to disclose details of the plans to the Senate. online.wsj.com |