Weekly Jabs For Diabetics May Be Possible
September 9th 2008 05:29
Those that know anyone - close friends or family - who suffer from diabetes, especially those that suffer from Type 2, will know how much of an inconvenience it is to be required constant monitoring of blood sugar levels and the unpleasantness of twice a day insulin jabs.
Well, according to the latest research, there could be an end to the twice a day jabs with a replacement jab that is effective for up to a week. This has been made possible due to a new formulation of exenatide, a drug used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 by increasing secretion of insulin to break down sugar after a meal. The new formulation gives the drug better control of blood sugar levels than the current regime of twice a day jabs, according to the University of Toronto in Canada.
The research was conducted over 30 weeks and on 259 patients who were either given a shot of a long-acting form of exenatide once a week, or had the traditional twice-a-day jabs.
The impact of the treatments was assessed by measuring levels of a chemical called haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in the patients' blood. Lower levels of this chemical are an indication that blood sugar levels are being controlled effectively.
Consequently, patients who were given the once a week jab registered a bigger average drop in HbA1c levels than those who had the twice daily jabs. A higher proportion of them also hit the target level for HbA1c during the study.
The were also fewer side effects such as dizziness, headache etc. for the once a week jab.
Details of the study were presented to a European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference in Rome and if confirmed, could transform the lives of Type 2 diabetics around the world. [bbc.co.uk]
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