DiaMedica, DM-99 Shown to Improve Glucose Metabolism in Pre-clinical Study

February 11, 2008 – DiaMedica Inc. (TSX-V:DMA), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel treatments for various stages of type 2 diabetes, is pleased to announce positive pre-clinical data for DM-99, its third clinical drug candidate. Results demonstrated, with statistical significance, greater glucose metabolism in normal animals treated with DM-99 when compared to untreated animals.
The study was conducted in the Wasserman Laboratory at the Diabetes Research and Training Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. In the study, the amount of glucose being metabolized was measured using the well established hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp model. Specifically, animals treated with DM-99 were able to use 41% more glucose than an untreated animal (p<0.04) during the first sixty minutes of the study...
DiaMedica's Press Release

Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Phase II India clinical study in Type 2 diabetes

February 11, 2008 – Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: BNT), a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced completion of treatment in an 80 patient multi-center open label, randomized, parallel group Phase II study in India to determine the safety and efficacy of add-on intranasal insulin spray (Nasulin®) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on oral anti-diabetic therapy. The clinical study report is expected to be completed later this month, but preliminary clinical results are being released today... [PDF] Bentley Pharmaceuticals' Press Release-

Zealand Pharma, Phase III program for AVE0010/ZP10

12 February 2008 - Sanofi-Aventis announced that after consultation with the healthcare authorities, the Phase III program for the GLP-1 agonist AVE0010/ZP10 licensed from Zealand Pharma A/S will begin in the first quarter of 2008.
The program will include over 3,000 diabetic patients and will evaluate a once-aday injection of AVE0010/ZP10 in combination with the principal existing treatments (metformin, sulfonylurea, insulin), as well as a comparison with exenatide and a monotherapy study......AVE0010/ZP10 is a glucagon-like peptide 1, or "GLP-1", receptor agonist developed for subcutaneous injection treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and incorporates Zealand Pharma's SIP® technology (Structured Induced Probe)... [PDF] Zealand's Press Release-

ConjuChem, Phase II Study of PC-DACTM:Exendin-4

February 20, 2008 – ConjuChem Biotechnologies Inc. (TSX:CJB) announced that dosing has been initiated in its Phase II clinical study for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes using the Company’s proprietary PC-DAC™:Exendin-4 compound. The study is the first of two Phase II studies that the Company plans to conduct concurrently... [PDF] ConjuChem's Press Release- PDF Communiqué de Presse ConjuChem-

InteKrin Therapeutics' INT131, Phase IIb study in Type 2 diabetes

February 25, 2008—InteKrin Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel drugs for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and metabolic disease, announced that it has initiated a Phase 2b study in diabetic patients with its lead product candidate INT131, a non-TZD SPPARM (Selective Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Modulator)...InteKrin Therapeutics' Press Release-

Lilly , KwikPen for Humalog and Humalog Mixtures

Feb 21, 2008 - Completing an unprecedented year of innovation in insulin delivery devices, Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) announced the launch of KwikPen™, a new insulin pen prefilled with the Humalog® (insulin lispro injection [rDNA origin]) brand of insulins. KwikPen is the third new insulin pen Lilly has launched in the last 12 months to help improve the daily management of diabetes, following the successful launches in 2007 of HumaPen® MEMOIR™ -- the world's first digital insulin pen with memory -- and HumaPen® LUXURA™ HD, a reusable pen for people who need insulin dosing in smaller increments... Lilly's Press Release-

Kinetic Concepts, V.A.C.Therapy to be More Efficacious Than Advanced Moist Wound Therapy in Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcers

February 11, 2008 - -Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE:KCI) announced the final efficacy results of a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) on the clinical efficacy of KCI’s V.A.C.® System negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) compared to advanced moist wound therapy (AMWT) to treat diabetic patients with foot ulcers. The study, which showed that V.A.C. Therapy is more efficacious than AMWT in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, will be published in the April 2008 issue of Diabetes Care, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Diabetes Association... Kinetic Concepts' Press Release -

t+ Medical, Alliance with Lifescan, Inc. to improve the lives of people with diabetes

February 14, 2008 – t+ Medical, the UK’s leading supplier of telemedicine solutions for long term conditions has partnered with LifeScan, Inc, a leading manufacturer of blood glucose meters to help people with diabetes more effectively manage their condition.
t+ Medical provides a comprehensive system of care which takes data from LifeScan blood glucose meters and wirelessly transmits the information to a central database. Using intelligent algorithms; this information is then analyzed and translated for patients in the form of simple graphs which can be viewed on their mobile phone or a personal computer. Patients are therefore able to track their condition, and monitor their diabetes giving them greater insight into their disease day by day... t+ Medical's Press release -

Lipomics Technologies, Insulin Resistance Research, Partner with Joslin Diabetes Center

Feb. 4, 2008 - Lipomics Technologies, Inc., a privately held company that specializes in clinical diagnostic development, announced that it is engaged in a research collaboration with Joslin Diabetes Center.
The collaboration will initially focus on two research programs. The first is a study on insulin resistant patients with a family history of type 2 diabetes. The primary objective is to identify predictive markers of disease that can be translated into blood based diagnostics.
The second study will focus on understanding the effects of gastric bypass surgery on insulin sensitivity. Both research programs originate from the laboratories of Mary Elizabeth Patti, MD, and Allison Goldfine, both Assistant Professors of Medicine, at Harvard Medical School and Investigators at Joslin Diabetes Center... Lipomics' Press Release-

Biovail , Canadian Commercial Availability of 1,000mg Dosage of Glumetza

Jan 24, 2008 - Biovail Corporation (NYSE:BVF) (TSX:BVF) announced the Canadian launch of 1,000mg dosage strength of Glumetza(TM), a once-daily, extended-release formulation of metformin hydrochloride (HCl) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes... Biovail's Press Release-

Geron, Second U.S. Patent for Production of Pancreatic Islets from Human Embryonic Stem Cells

February 05, 2008 - -Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN) announced that it has received U.S. Patent 7,326,572 with claims covering a widely used method for producing endoderm cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The production of endoderm cells is a critical step in generating pancreatic islet cells from hESCs, which Geron is developing for potential use in treating diabetes... Geron's Press Release-

DiaKine Therapeutics’ Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

January 09, 2008 -Drugs under development by DiaKine Therapeutics to potentially cure diabetes and reverse its complications have been granted a U.S. patent, the company announced at the 26^th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Patent number 7,247,630 covers novel tricyclic compounds that regulate cytokines. Cytokines may mistakenly attack normal organs and tissue and cause diseases such as diabetes and related complications such as kidney and eye disease... [PDF] DiaKine's Press Release-

Healthcare Providers Direct, First Accurate and Effective Rapid Point-of-Care Screening Test for Microalbuminuria

January 31, 2008 - LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J.--Healthcare Providers Direct, Inc. (OTCBB: HPRD), a company focused on the development and distribution of rapid diagnostic tests directly to physicians' offices, announced the release of ImmunoDip®, the first rapid screening test to detect microalbuminuria, an early indicator of chronic kidney disease in diabetic patients... [PDF] Healthcare Providers Direct's Press Release -

Novagali Pharma, FDA Clearance of IND for US Clinical Trial of Nova63035 in patients with Diabetic Macular Edema

December 19, 2007 – Novagali Pharma, an emerging ophthalmic pharmaceutical company announced that the Company’s Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to conduct a Phase I clinical trial of its Nova63035, an ophthalmic injectable emulsion based on EYEJECT® technology containing a corticosteroid prodrug for the treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), has been granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)... Novagali's Press Release-

Immunosyn, First Phase “Proof of Concept Trial” in Europe for Treatment of Diabetic Ulcers With Biopharmaceutical SF-1019

Jan. 17 , 2008 - Immunosyn Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: IMYN ) announced that the first phase of a formal "Proof of Concept Trial" for the biopharmaceutical SF-1019 has been successfully completed in Europe for treatment of Diabetic Ulcers ... Argyll Biotechnologies is the developer and licensor of SF-1019, for which Immunosyn has been granted the world-wide rights to market, sell and distribute under an exclusive license agreement... [PDF] Immunosyn' s Press Release-

Genaera, Diabetes IND In Effect for Trodusquemine (MSI-1436)

January 23rd, 2008 - Genaera Corporation (NASDAQ: GENR) announced that the investigational new drug (IND) application submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for trodusquemine (MSI-1436) in type 2 diabetes is now in effect. This application represents the second IND filed by the Company in 2007 for MSI-1436. A previous IND for the treatment of obesity, under which Genaera is currently conducting phase 1 clinical trials, has been in effect since April 2007. MSI-1436 is a novel therapeutic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity which acts by regulating insulin and leptin receptor signaling through inhibition of the tyrosine phosphatase, PTP-1B... Genaera's Press Release-