The meetings of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego last week defined diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough …
Local biotechs combating medical, financial strain of diabetes
By George Chamberlin, Daily Transcript Financial Correspondent June 17, 2005 The meetings of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego last week defined the current state of the disease: More people suffer from the consequences of fluctuating blood sugar levels, and science is developing new, life-saving treatments And, several local biotech companies are leading the effort to improve the lifestyle of diabetics The results we have reported are encouraging, said Mark Wedel, MD, chief medical officer at Isis Pharmaceuticals Nasdaq: ISIS The Carlsbad-based company used the ADA meetings to release the latest test data on a drug that treats the complications of diabetes Isis 113715 produced promising results at low weekly doses and without the major side effects associated with other anti-diabetic therapies, such as hypoglycemia, nausea and weight loss, said Wedel Earlier this year, Amylin Pharmaceuticals Nasdaq: AMLN received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for the use of Byetta to treat type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease The company released new information on how the drug -developed
in collaboration with Eli Lilly NYSE: LLY — results in improved blood sugar control and progressive weight loss In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or cells ignore the insulin, which is necessary for the body to process sugar This immediately results in a loss of energy and could lead to damage of the eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart Type 1 diabetes — often known as juvenile diabetes — results when the body fails to produce the insulin necessary for the body to burn sugar for energy Findings from these long-term data demonstrate that Byetta has unique benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes who have previously struggled to manage the disease effectively, said David Kendall, MD, medical director at the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis Investors celebrated the news from Amylin, which has long been recognized for its research into treatments for diabetes The shares went from 1550 to near 20 in the past week, though they still trade well below their all-time high of 30 in December 2003 Like many other diseases, diabetes is both a medical and financial burden The ADA estimates that 182 million people in America have diabetes, the fifth
leading cause of death in the country However, since type 2 diabetes often goes undetected, it can have severe societal consequences
A study by Medtronics NYSE: MDT suggests that the US economy could save up to 72 billion in medical expenses and other costs if Americans with diabetes kept their blood sugar levels within current treatment guidelines The study, released at the San Diego meetings last week, said diabetics would save between 35 billion and 50 billion in direct medical costs, such as hospitalization, over a 10-year period When indirect costs — lost work time, premature mortality and disability — are included in the calculations, the savings surge to 72 billion The application of preventive medicine techniques, through early diagnostic testing and intervention, could lengthen lives and lower health care costs when pre-diabetes is spotted, said Gregory Nichols, senior research associate at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Pre-diabetes is defined as blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis Annual health care costs for those with the highest pre-diabetes blood glucose levels were 31 percent above those
with normal blood glucose levels, with many of the extra costs due to cardiovascular disease, which is expensive to treat but far less to prevent, said Nichols The ADA has developed a variety of educational programs designed to inform people of the importance of healthy eating and exercise in preventing type 2 diabetes And, many companies whose products may be considered threats to wellness have stepped up to inform consumers — especially children — about the consequences of unhealthy eating Because there is no single solution to the public health challenge of obesity, many sectors of society, including the food industry, must work together to make real progress, said Mark Berlind, executive vice president of global affairs at Kraft Foods NYSE: KFT The company each year sponsors a summit on child and adolescent obesity Combined with a moderate exercise program, the ADA believes that the 16 million Americans who have evidence of pre-diabetes — and 5 million people with full-blown but undiagnosed diabetes — may be able to completely avoid the life-threatening effects of the disease
