Every once in a while, researchers invoke the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage to describe efforts to use nanotechnology to deliver drugs in the body. A submarine crew shrunk to microscopic size work to damage an injured scientist’s brain in the film. Now, the company Bionaut Labs (Los Angeles) has emerged from stealth mode to describe […]
Semaglutide paired with behavioral therapy tripled weight loss in trial
The diabetes drug Ozempic (semaglutide) could potentially enhance weight loss in overweight and obese patients without diabetes, according to a study recently published in JAMA and The New England Journal of Medicine. In December, Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) submitted a new drug application to the FDA for a 2.4-mg dose of subcutaneous semaglutide for chronic weight management. Get the full story […]
Looking back at two decades of CGM advances
Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) have transformed how many people with diabetes manage blood sugar, but attempts to monitor blood glucose have a long history. Attempts to manage glucose kicked off in earnest when researchers began measuring glucose in urine in the mid-1800s. Scientists’ ability to do so steadily improved over the years, but urine glucose […]
Why COVID-19 could drive a surge in diabetes
Diabetes was already an epidemic before the novel coronavirus struck. But some researchers now suspect that COVID-19 can trigger the condition. Approximately 14% of patients with severe COVID-19 develop the disease, according to a meta-analysis recently published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. To arrive at that thesis, the researchers analyzed eight studies. Half of […]
Catalent to acquire Acorda’s manufacturing and packaging operations
Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase a dry-powder inhaler (DPI) capsule manufacturing and packaging facility from Acorda Therapeutics (NSDQ:ACOR). The acquisition will enable Catalent to establish a center of excellence for spray-dried dispersion for DPI capsule manufacturing. The transaction will also expand Catalent’s existing U.S.-based commercial-scale capabilities in metered-dose inhalers and nasal […]
How CGMs can inspire lifestyle changes
As an early adopter of fitness trackers such as the Fitbit, I’ve long appreciated the power of health data. But my recent experience with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) has done far more to inspire me to look after my health — even as a nondiabetic. I had heard about the potential of such technology […]
How continuous glucose monitors have transformed the diabetes landscape
Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are among the most potent diabetes management tools to emerge in recent decades. FDA approved the first professional CGM in 1999, and the technology has evolved swiftly since then. Current models beam data via Bluetooth to smartphones (plus the Apple Watch) and the cloud, enabling patients to explore their blood glucose […]
FDA approves Guerbet’s Optiray imaging bulk package
Guerbet (EPA:GBT), which specializes in medical imaging including contrast agents, has received FDA approval for its Optiray imaging bulk package, which can be used to fill sterile disposable syringes for use with CT imaging. The imaging bulk package is intended to reduce the number of single-dose vials when used with a power injector and contrast […]
OncoSec announces positive results in metastatic melanoma case study
The International Journal of Surgery Case Reports has published a case study on the use of the humanized antibody Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and tavokinogene telseplasmid (TAVO) from OncoSec (NSDQ:ONCS) for treating metastatic melanoma. The study involved a patient with stage IIB, pT3b melanoma who initially underwent tumor resection but experienced regional recurrence and later disease progression […]
Lilly and Ypsomed team up on automated insulin delivery
Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) and Ypsomed (SWX:YPSN) are teaming up to create an automated insulin delivery system. Lilly would commercialize the device, which would incorporate an insulin pump from Ypsomed. Burgdorf, Switzerland-based Ypsomed launched its Mylife YpsoPump in Europe in 2016. Now available in 21 countries, the pump includes a touch screen. Lilly plans on commercializing […]
