Highlights
Drug Approvals
- Exubera, an inhaled form of insulin, was approved by the FDA in 2006. It is the first non-injected type of insulin. It is approved for adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
- Pramlintide (Symlin), a new injectable drug, was approved in 2005. It is used in addition to insulin for adults who have trouble controlling their blood sugar. Pramlintide and insulin are the only two approved treatments for type 1 diabetes.
Investigational Drugs
A CD3 antibody drug may help stimulate insulin production in patients with type 1 diabetes and reduce their need for supplementary insulin, suggests an important 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Beneficial effects from a 6-day treatment lasted up to 18 months.
Insulin Pumps
Very young children (ages 2 - 7 years old) can successfully use insulin pumps, suggests a 2006 study in Pediatrics. The study found that insulin pumps worked better than twice-daily insulin injections.
Exercise
Regular exercise can help improve blood sugar levels in children with type 1 diabetes, and does not appear to increase the risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), according to a 2006 study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Type 1 Diabetes and Heart Disease
- Tight blood sugar control can cut in half the risk of heart disease in patients with diabetes, according to the latest results from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. Results, published in 2005 in NEJM, showed that intensive blood sugar control reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular events by 50%.
- Improving heart disease risk factors can also help prevent diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage). A 2005 study in NEJM suggested that in addition to blood sugar control, patients should aim to reduce triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and weight.
