LONDON AstraZeneca's experimental injection for severe asthma cut substantially the need for patients to take problematic oral steroid drugs in a late-stage study, boosting hopes for a medicine that is expected to reach the market later this year.

But the British drugmaker's established Bydureon medicine for diabetes failed to show a hoped-for benefit in reducing heart risks, putting it at a disadvantage to Novo Nordisk's rival Victoza in the so-called GLP-1 drug class.

Novo's next-generation GLP-1 drug semaglutide, currently awaiting approval, has also shown such a heart benefit.

The mixed news left AstraZeneca's shares little changed in early dealings on Tuesday.

While most investor focus is on AstraZeneca's cancer research, particularly the immunotherapy drug durvalumab, the company also has a long history in respiratory therapy and a significant presence in diabetes.

It plans to build on the lung expertise with new asthma drug benralizumab, which will compete with GlaxoSmithKline's Nucala and Teva's Cinqair - two other recently approved antibody drugs for severe asthma.

AstraZeneca hopes its product's potency and convenient dosing will give it an edge, despite being third to market.

Data from the 28-week Phase III clinical trial presented at the American Thoracic Society and published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Monday showed the median reduction in oral steroid dose was 75 percent for patients on benralizumab.

Overall, patients treated with benralizumab were more than four times as likely to cut steroid use than those on placebo and there was also a 70 percent reduction in the rate of serious asthma attacks, known as exacerbations.

Tom Keith-Roach, head of AstraZeneca's respiratory, inflammation and autoimmune business, said the results were good news for the sickest patients, who currently rely on oral steroids that can cause weight gain, mood changes and other side effects.

Data from the latest trial, along with results from two earlier studies, were included in regulatory submissions for benralizumab in various countries, including the United States, where an approval decision is due in the fourth quarter.

The picture was less favorable for Bydureon, where a separate clinical trial showed that while the injectable drug did not raise heart dangers, it failed to demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in cardiovascular risks.

Consensus industry analyst forecasts point to annual benralizumab sales of $915 million in 2023, while Bydureon is expected to sell $854 million, according to data compiled by Thomson Reuters.

In addition to competition from GSK and Teva, benralizumab also faces a potentially serious challenge from Sanofi and Regeneron, whose drug dupilumab is being tested for severe asthma after winning a green light in eczema.

Benralizumab works by directly killing off inflammatory cells found in the lungs called eosinophils and, unlike the two existing drugs, it is given only every eight weeks rather than monthly.

"There are around 2 million severe uncontrolled asthmatics worldwide in our top 12 markets and I certainly think based on this profile we would expect to have a really competitive share of that market," Keith-Roach said.

(Editing by Susan Thomas)

KISUMU, Kenya President Donald Trump's dramatic expansion of a policy blocking U.S. aid to organizations offering abortion services will have one sure result, say medical workers in this city: more abortions.

Cigarette filters, introduced decades ago to reduce the amount of tar smokers inhale, also alter other properties of smoke and smoking in a way that raises the risk of lung cancer, researchers say.

FRANKFURT Germany's highest court ruled on Tuesday that a father could have his child vaccinated according to a schedule recommended by authorities even though the mother of the girl is opposed.

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AstraZeneca asthma shot hits goal but diabetes drug lags rival - Reuters

New York Daily News

How to keep sex alive and well when you have diabetes New York Daily News A chronic illness has a way of throwing a wrench into many aspects of our lives, including sex. Type 2 diabetes is one such disease in which sexuality is commonly affected and difficulties experienced by both men and women with this condition. Not only ...

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How to keep sex alive and well when you have diabetes - New York Daily News

IndyCar driver Conor Daly comes from a competitive family, so when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 14, family members took it as another challenge hed beat on the way to a racing career.

Beth Boles, a novice jet ski world title winner in 1990, said of her son: He never thought it was going to prohibit him. Im competitive. Well figure it out.

As one of three known drivers in an IndyCar or NASCAR series with Type 1 diabetes, Daly hopes he can be a positive example to others.

If I can be an inspiration, yeah, that would be awesome, Daly said. I dont know if I am. If they think I am, then cool. Thats great.

Boles remembered her dad, a doctor, saying increased thirst could be a sign of diabetes.

I remember it was Christmas, and he asked for a refrigerator for his room, she said of her son. Im like, Why do you want a refrigerator? That way I can put my drinks in it and stuff. Im like, Thats kind of crazy.

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When Daly went to a go-kart race shortly afterward, Boles got a call from Dalys father, former Formula One driver Derek Daly, saying he could hardly get him out of bed.

It was advised to get him to a hospital after calls were made to family friends who were doctors.

We didnt know how it would be responded to, if people would let us race anymore, Daly said of being diagnosed. Kind of just kept doing our thing.

That thing was winning. He won the 2006 World Karting Association Junior Nationals. He won the Skip Barber National Championship with five wins in 2008 and the Star Mazda Championship with a series-record seven wins in 2010.

Boles acknowledged that, like many mothers, she was sensitive early on about whether he took his insulin before go-karting. She became more worried when he went to Europe to race.

I made him wear a dogtag, Boles said.

That identified him as someone with diabetes.

Someone just like Charlie Kimball, a Californian who also had gone to Europe to compete. He missed four races in 2007 while driving in the World Series by Renault after he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He drove in the F3 Euroseries in 2008, then returned to the USA in 2009 to help promote diabetes awareness when he signed to race in the Indy Lights Series.

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Kimball now drives the No. 83 Tresiba Honda in the Verizon IndyCar Series. When he won at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2013, he became the first driver with Type 1 diabetes to win in the IndyCar Series.

Kimball, who will start 16th in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, has partnered with Novo Nordisk to raise awareness for diabetes.

Like Kimball, Daly races with a glucose monitor that transmits data so hes aware if his glucose level falls during a race.

Daly, who will start 26th on Sunday, wears a Dexcom G5 sensor during the race.

The team cant monitor me, he said. I just have one (monitor) in the car to see, and its connected to my phone as well.

Never been an issue. Never has, and as long as I do my job, then it shouldnt be.

Daly worked with Lilly Diabetes last year but now drives the No. 4 ABC Supply Co. Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Racing.

Daly, Kimball and NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Ryan Reed are the three known drivers in national racing series with Type 1 diabetes.

Fair credit to him, Daly said of Kimball raising awareness of Type 1 diabetes through sponsorships in racing. I was jealous, for sure. That did a lot of great things for him. For me, I worked a little bit with Lilly Diabetes last year, which was great. But I really have no affiliations with many people in the drug industry at all. I just go about my own business, help where I can in the Juvenile (Diabetes) Research Foundation.

Life just takes a little bit more work, but theres no sense in letting it stop you. It is annoying at times, very annoying. But in the end, its something that can be managed, as long as you do your job.

George Sipple write for the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.

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Los Angeles Police officials are looking for a missing Studio City teen who has diabetes.

Angelique Faith Davis is seen in a photo released by LAPD officials on May 22, 2017.

Angelique Faith Davis, 13, was walking in the 3700 block of Fredonia Drive about 3:30 p.m. Sunday when she was last seen.

She has Type 1 diabetes and requires medication, officials said. She apparently is also depressed.

In an email, a woman describing herself asAngelique's mother said police used a helicopter and bloodhounds to search for her daughter to no avail.

Angelique is described as being 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 128 pounds. She has brown hair, browneyes and freckles.

She was last seen wearing a purple blouse, blue shorts, white shoes and a black backpack.

Anyone with information about Angelique can call LAPD officials at 818 754-8410 or 818 754-8429.

34.139560 -118.387099

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LAPD Officials Look for Missing Studio City Teen With Diabetes - KTLA

Question: How can a blood test determine if I have prediabetes? How much weight do I need to lose to bring my numbers down?

Answer: Doctors typically perform one of three blood tests to diagnose prediabetes, a condition marked by blood sugar (glucose) levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to qualify as diabetes. While prediabetes often leads to full-fledged Type 2 diabetes, many people can hold the condition in check if they lose a relatively small amount of weight and increase their physical activity, said Dr. Rhonda Bentley-Lewis, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

I stress to my patients that were not talking about a huge amount of weight. Just 5 to 7 percent of ones body weight she said. Thats 10 to 14 pounds for someone who weighs 200 pounds.

Two of the tests require fasting, which helps prevent results being distorted by a prior meal and provides an even baseline, Bentley-Lewis said.

One, the fasting plasma glucose test, checks blood glucose levels after an 8 to 10 hour fast; results of 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter indicate prediabetes. The other, the oral glucose tolerance test, is the most sensitive. It checks blood glucose levels after fasting and then two hours after you consume a sweetened drink; levels of 140 to 199 after the drink indicate prediabetes.

A third test, the A1C test, may be the most convenient because it doesnt require fasting. It measures your average blood glucose levels over the past two to three months; results of 5.7 percent to 6.4 percent, which indicate the percentage of red blood cells that have glucose attached to them, indicate prediabetes.

Though doctors often repeat a test to confirm a diabetes diagnosis, they do not always do so for a prediabetes diagnosis, Bentley-Lewis said.

Doctors can treat prediabetes with medication, but many patients prefer to try weight loss and exercise first, she said.

Among thousands of people with prediabetes who participated in a national study called the Diabetes Prevention Program, those who received counseling about lifestyle changes, like losing a modest amount of weight, stepping up physical activity and reducing the amount of fat and calories in their diets, were able to reduce their risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent.

Roni Caryn Rabin writes for The New York Times.

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How much weight should you shed to avoid diabetes? - The San Diego Union-Tribune

With Promising Potential

No matter how modern the world has become, there are certain ailments that continue to persist. One of these is diabetes, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are now over 422 million people in the world suffering from it. Generally characterized as a problem in blood sugar levels, diabetes has two variants an insulin-dependent one, known as type 1 diabetes (T1D), and type 2 diabetes thats non-insulin-dependent.

In the United States, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation reports that about 1.25 million people have T1D. The cause of this particular diabetes variant still remains unknown, and treatments generally involve pumping insulin daily into the patients body. As such, theres still no known cure for T1D. However, researchers from the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in Florida may have just made it possible to develop one.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers described how clinical trials involving pancreatic islet cell implants to the omentum the tissue covering organs in the abdomen shows promise in treating T1D. Islet transplantation can restore euglycemia and eliminate severe hypoglycemia in patients with [T1D], the researchers wrote. The omentum has a dense vascularized surface for islet implantation, drains into the portal system, and is easily accessible.

Pancreatic islets are endocrine cell clusters found throughout the organ, which is normally involved with insulin and glucagon production in healthy individuals. The researchers found that using donor islets combined with a T1D patients own blood plasma makes for effective islet implants into the omentum. This works better than previous attempts to implant islets in the liver, which could cause inflammation. The omentum then becomes sort of a mini-pancreas that could produce insulin for T1D patients. The results thus far have shown that the omentum appears to be a viable site for islet implantation using this new platform technique, lead author David Baidal told Endgadget.

The patients involved in the clinical trials were weaned off from their usual dose of insulin 17 days after the transplant. Their glucose levels subsequently showed improvements. At 12 months, in response to a 5-hour mixed-meal tolerance test, the 90-minute glucose level was 266 mg per deciliter (14.6 mmol per liter); this level decreased to 130 mg per deciliter (7.1 mmol per liter) at 300 minutes, according to the study.

While this isnt the only research out there that tries to solve the problem of diabetes, its certainly the first thats given patients a steady supply of insulin from inside their bodies, setting them free from their insulin injections. Similar studies have also been conducted to remove the dependence of type 2 diabetes patients from their usual medicines.

It would still take some time, however, before the actual feasibility of this treatment is determined. Data from our study and long-term follow up of additional omental islet transplants will determine the safety and feasibility of this strategy of islet transplantation, but we are quite excited about what we are seeing now, Baidal said.

Link:
A New Clinical Trial Just Made Diabetes Patients Insulin Independent - Futurism

Novant Health Inc. has recently launched several community health initiatives, putting its main focus on the heart and diabetes preventive care.

The health-care system has set a goal of discussing the reality with at least 10,000 individuals within its four-state network that there can be a significant difference between a persons actual age and their heart age.

A 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that three out of every four U.S. adults between the ages of 30 and 74 have a prematurely aging heart. That can signify they are at higher risk for a heart attack and/or stroke.

The CDC defines heart age as the calculated age of a persons cardiovascular system based on his or her risk factor profile. The risks include high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes status and body mass index as an indicator for obesity.

The CDC report shows that heart age varies by race/ethnicity, gender, region, and other sociodemographic characteristics

For example, the CDC provided a case in which a 47-year-old woman who smokes and has a systolic blood pressure (the top number) of 142 may have a heart age of 67. If the woman quits smoking and reduces the top number to 120, she may be able to lower her heart age by 23 years.

The Novant educational initiative focuses on demonstrating that diet and lifestyle changes can dramatically lower the hearts age.

More than three in four heart attacks and strokes could be avoided or delayed if people manage or control their cardiovascular risk factors, like blood pressure, diet, exercise and smoking habits.

Novant Health is committed to raising awareness of this important issue and promoting the message that taking care of your heart and living a long, healthy life go hand in hand, said Dr. Tom Zweng, Novants chief medical officer.

Novants initiative begins with an online heart disease risk assessment that analyzes cardiovascular risk factors and offers wellness tips, recipe ideas and stress management reminders.

Knowing the factors that increase your heart age reinforces the importance of healthier living and caring for your heart, said Dr. Gary Niess, lead physician for Novants Heart & Vascular Institute.

The most effective plan of action is to regularly discuss heart health with your physician, and monitor critical health indicators like blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels.

Novant also is emphasizing a sleep awareness initiative to help individuals with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression.

Lack of sleep is also responsible for a multitude of motor vehicle and machinery-related crashes every year.

When you look at the general population, self-imposed sleep deprivation is a common problem, said Dr. Lucie Lauve of Novants Winston Neurology practice.

The third initiative involves the opening of a clinic for intensive diabetes management at 1400 Westgate Center Drive Suite 130.

The clinic is open for new patients, including referrals from other providers. The clinic will provide care for patients with Type 1 diabetes, insulin-treated pregnant patients, and insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes patients with an A1C thats the measure of blood glucose greater than 9 percent. The clinic will feature specialized and expert care in diabetes and insulin management.

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Novant begins preventive-care push for heart disease, diabetes and sleep deprivation - Winston-Salem Journal

LIHUE Malia Bever is no stranger to Type 1 diabetes.

The Koloa teen was 4 years old when she was diagnosed, after her mom noticed Malias eating patterns and weight had changed.

During the next few years, there were ups and downs as the family adjusted to her diagnosis and navigated the questions that came with it.

Theres this sort of angry stage people go through after theyre diagnosed, and that happened with me when I was younger, Bever said. Ive experienced every stage of it, up to now.

The Southern California native is now 17. She moved to Kauai with her family in 2014. She was involved in Type 1 diabetes-centered youth outreach programs in California, and shes still using her time in Hawaii to find ways to connect people who have been diagnosed.

In 2016, Bever started a support group for people with Type 1 diabetes on Kauai, focused on connecting teens and tweens. She held a summer bash that year, and is repeating the Type 1 Kauai Family Retreat at Makanalani Estates in Kilauea June 9-11. It is free.

The retreat is about being together with people like you, Bever said. We share our stories and we have some information about Type 1 diabetes, because for the longest time I didnt even really know what it was.

One story Bever shares is getting a service dog when she was 9 as a way to help manage the emotional swings and changes in her body.

Everything got a little easier when we got Nick Jonas thats his name, Bever said. He used to go everywhere with me, but now he stays home quite a bit.

She said its important for kids with the diagnosis to know about tricks to live well with Type 1 diabetes, like getting a service animal.

In 2010, Bever attended Camp Sweeney in Texas. Thats where she got the inspiration for the Kauai retreat, which is her own smaller-scale version.

The Texas camp convenes each year for three weeks. Its a traditional summer camp with games, arts and crafts, and a paddle out, all for kids with Type 1 diabetes. But it also has medical staff and trained dietitians, so kids can focus on fun.

Its such an epic camp, Bever said.

For the Kauai retreat, Bever is including everyone in the family.

Bevers mom, Jessica, and grandmother, Diana, will be lending a hand with the event, and will share how they coped with Malias diagnosis as shes grown up.

My mom let me go to sleepovers and stuff, Bever said. A lot of kids with Type 1 dont get to do that kind of stuff because of the insulin, but she let me be more free.

In addition to Makanalanis open space with donkeys, sheep and horses, Bever plans to set up a slip-n-slide and have an evening where adults and kids can play separately.

Last year, we had a movie night downstairs and a nice dinner for the adults upstairs, Bever said. Were going to do something like that this year, too.

Info: email type1kauai@ yahoo.com or call 278-8765.

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Type 1 diabetes group throws bash - Thegardenisland.com