It never fails to amaze me how big pharma outfits proudly boast of their new wonder drugs for type two diabetes. You don’t have to read the small print to realise the drugs are next to useless. Their new big con can reduce HbA1c by a stratospheric, mind blowing, wait for it……0.71 percent at best and 0.28 percent for the lowest 0.25 mg dose. Well that's it then, us old lowcarbers can call it a day and get that high carb nosh down our necks. Oh no, it appears if I take the max dose I might be able to eat half a donut a day and hold present BG numbers. Well that does not seem much of a return on the likely charge of around £100 a month. Plus, and it’s a big plus, it might be banned a few years down the road, when people start dropping like flies, as with Avandia and Actos. As the well informed know, the ACCORD trial using a multiple drug regime, was stopped early, because too many people were err dropping like flies.
Imagine a person diagnosed with HbA1c around ten, mine was close to twelve. If you gulped down every type two drug on the market, you would not achieve HbA1c in the fives, you may well achieve your first and only ride in the back of a Rolls Royce, horizontal of course. There are only two ways to knock 5 full points of your HbA1c safely, injected insulin or drastic dietary changes and some mild physical activity. OK you already knew that, can someone please tell the NHS, ADA and DUK before billions are wasted on this latest junk med.
“An experimental once-a-week drug for type 2 diabetes being developed by Merck & Co proved effective in lowering blood sugar levels in a mid-stage clinical trial, according to data presented on Wednesday.
The 685-patient study tested MK-3102 at five doses - ranging from 0.25 milligram to 25 mg - against a placebo, with the primary goal being reduction in A1c, a common measure of blood sugar.
After 12 weeks of treatment with the Merck drug, A1c was reduced 0.71 percent at 25 mg, 0.67 percent at 10 mg, 0.49 percent at 3 mg, 0.5 percent with 1 mg, and 0.28 percent for the lowest 0.25 mg dose. The reductions compared with placebo for all doses were deemed to be statistically significant, according to Merck, which presented the data on Wednesday at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Berlin.
Januvia has been a bright spot for Merck. It and a related combination diabetes pill called Janumet saw sales jump to $1.47 billion in the second quarter, putting the franchise on track for nearly $6 billion in sales this year.
"We do anticipate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of this will be comparable to sitagliptin," Nancy Thornberry, Merck's head of diabetes and endocrinology, said in a telephone interview from Berlin”
One last point regarding placebos, did you know they can be made from anything the outfit conducting the trial wants them to be, and they usually keep the formula to themselves. Perish the thought a fine upstanding and thoroughly ethical big pharma company would slip someone a Mickey.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-diabetes-merckbre8920me-20121003,0,5616513.story
Eddie
8 comments:
Well I'm very new to low carb / paleo eating but my blood glucose has come back under control and is much more even, I'm losing weight, I'm sleeping better, my moods have improved and I suddenly have bags of energy.
I am however becoming increasingly angry at the thought that a worldwide epidemic in type 2 diabetes is good thing for the drugs companies, conventional diet organisations and grain producers. What would they do if we all went low carb?
Hi Adam
If everyone started lowcarbing big pharma would lose billions as would the junk food firms.
The big problem will be if everyone went the healthy food route, we would all be starving, because supply could never keep up with demand.
Sometimes I think should we keep quiet, our good grub is already expensive enough.
Eddie
One could say that us Type 2's are a cash machine for big pharma. Pills are almost instantly prescribed for anything these days but are they necessary? Those of us that are willing to look and learn are beginning to realise that this isn't necessarily the answer. So many illnesses these days are brought about by stress and poor diet, lack of exercise doesn't help either.
“There are only two ways to knock 5 full points of your HbA1c safely, injected insulin or drastic dietary changes and some mild physical activity.”
A little optimistic regarding injected insulin. If we assume that the Type 2s have the same success rate in injecting insulin as the Type 1s:
Results for England. The National Diabetes Audit 2010-2011
Percentage of registered Type 1patients in England
HbA1c >= 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) = 92.6%
HbA1c > 7.5% (58 mmol/mol) = 71.3%
HbA1c > 10.0% (86 mmol/mol) = 18.1%
So what does that leave?
wow, i didn't know that about placebos.... GOK what might be in them.
No I didn't know that there doesn't seem to be any rules and regulations with regard to placebos. Surely it is important that there should be. The saying an even playing field comes to mind.
"wow, i didn't know that about placebos.... GOK what might be in them."
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/10/should-placebo-ingredients-be-disclosed-in-trials/
Graham
Good link,Graham, thanks.
Post a Comment