LONDON/BANGALORE:

Researchers, including one of Bangalore origin, found that a new form of insulin that needs to be taken three times a week is as effective as the once-a-day medication. Clinical trials, held in India, Canada, South Africa and the US, showed that the new longer-acting form of insulin, called Degludec, works effectively in controlling blood sugar among patients with Type 2 diabetes.

One in three patients with type-2 diabetes, whose body does not produce enough insulin, currently has to get insulin at least once a day to keep the blood sugar under check.

Researchers, led by Dr Yogish Kudva who and Dr Ananda Basu from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in the US, said that patients might stick to their medical regime if it was less onerous. Dr Kudva, an alumni of the St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, informed Express over e-mail that the trials were held from January to August 2008. The paper had two other authors from India — Prof P V Rao of the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences University, Hyderabad, and Prof N Thomas of the Christian Medical College, Vellore, according to Dr Kudva.

Asked when the drug could possibly be available in India, Dr Kudva said it would depend on the regulatory agency review of ongoing trial data.

For their trials, the researchers recruited 245 people with Type 2 diabetes, who had not previously been prescribed insulin.

Two-thirds were told to use Degludec once a day or three times a week. The remainder had daily jabs of insulin glargine — a widely used medication. Findings showed similar control of blood sugar levels across all three groups, the researchers reported in the British medical journal ‘The Lancet’.

But those given daily jabs of Degludec had fewer attacks of hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar, they said.

Danish manufacturer Novo Nordisk hopes to apply for licensing approval to market the drug in 2013. (With PTI inputs)

source: http://www.expressbuzz.com / Express News Services / Mar 11th, 2011