Sugar Turned On Me

As I’ve said before in this blog, the good news about diabetes is that new treatments are being found every day, it seems. Old ones and new ones. Recently, the following three news stories caught my attention:

• Weekly Injections for Type 2 paitents: The prescription drug exenatide, sold under the brand name Byetta, requires twice daily injections. Currently, a once weekly dose of the medication, which boosts insulin production, is being tested and shows promise.
• Open Wide and Say “Ah”: Recent research revealed that diabetics have certain protiens in their saliva more commonly than people without. While still in the earliest stages of investigation, the reasearchers are hoping that this could be used to diagnose diabetes and maybe even replace blood tests, saving people from that delightful morning poke.
• Everything Old is New Again: In 1876, a drug called salsalate was being investigated as a treatment for diabeties. An anti-inflammatory, it’s used to treat arthritis today. A researcher believes that the people considering using it to help diabetics control blood sugar may have been on to something. Studies are being done and soon to be published that may give diabetics an additional and inexpensive (available as a generic, no less) medication.

Here’s hoping the above stories are not mere pipe-dreams, but something for us to look forward too.

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