Diabetes

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Diabetes Association has appointed Robert Ratner to serve as chief scientific and medical officer of the organization, effective May 7.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — For all the fears about the patent cliff, at least one disease state seems to be on the up-and-up in terms of new drug development and new products.

(THE NEWS: FDA approves Bydureon. For the full story, click here.)

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Merck for Type 2 diabetes, the drug maker said Thursday.

Merck announced the approval of Janumet XR (sitagliptin and metformin hydrochloride) extended-release tablets as a once-daily treatment for the disease.

INDIANAPOLIS and ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Through a collaboration with the American Diabetes Association, the diabetes division of drug maker Eli Lilly has committed to send 89 children to diabetes camp this summer.

Lilly Diabetes said it donated the camp scholarships — a fund totaling $89,000 — to the American Diabetes Association's 2012 camp scholarship fund. More than 400 diabetes camping programs exist worldwide serving approximately 30,000 youth with diabetes and their families, Lilly Diabetes said.

DETROIT — Female diabetes patients may experience a greater degree of hearing loss as they get older, particularly if their condition is not well-controlled by medication, according to a new study conducted at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

NEW YORK — A new study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology examined the possible link between pancreatic cancer and drugs designed to treat diabetes, and found the association to be unclear.

Researchers conducted a case-control study based on the British-based General Practice Research Database, which included drug prescriptions, diagnostics, hospitalizations and fatality information. The researchers also took into consideration such factors as body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption and diabetes duration.

CHICHESTER, England — Self-monitoring blood glucose levels in Type 2 diabetics not on an insulin regimen may contribute little to managing the disease, according to an analysis published online last month by The Cochran Library.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for Type 2 diabetes made by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim, the drug makers said.

The FDA approved Jentadueto (linagliptin and metformin) tablets, designed to be taken twice daily. The approval marks the second since the two companies announced their collaboration to develop diabetes drugs in January 2011; the first drug approved under the Lilly-BI partnership was Tradjenta (linagliptin), approved in May 2011.