What's New in Diabetes Treatment?

Advances successful Diabetes Treatment

By Camille Peri
WebMD Feature

Diabetes curen is getting amended each day. Scientists whitethorn beryllium conscionable a fewer years distant from making an artificial pancreas that tin safely observe and set humor sweetener (glucose) levels. In nan meantime, caller medications and insulin devices tin make surviving pinch glucosuria easier and safer now.

"We're getting much and much options," says Michael German, MD, objective head of nan Diabetes Center astatine nan University of California, San Francisco. "That's bully because nary 2 group pinch glucosuria are nan same. It helps america get nan correct medicine for each person."

Progress successful Diabetes Care

These treatments are aliases will soon beryllium disposable successful nan U.S.

• Afrezza. This insulin inhaler for adults pinch type 1 and type 2 glucosuria deed nan marketplace successful February 2015. You usage it astatine nan opening of a repast for a boost of short-acting insulin. Unlike an older inhaler, which was nan size of a tin of shaving cream, Afrezza is easier to usage and not arsenic clunky to transportation around. "It's rather mini – a small bigger than a whistle," says Sethu K. Reddy, MD, main of big glucosuria astatine Joslin Diabetes Center astatine Harvard Medical School successful Boston. It's astir apt not for you if you fume aliases person a lung information for illustration asthma aliases emphysema.

• Medtronic MiniMed 640G. This mixed insulin pump and continuous glucose show is simply a measurement toward nan artificial pancreas. It automatically stops pumping insulin erstwhile your humor sweetener levels are trending down and starts again erstwhile they're backmost up. "Hypoglycemia [low humor sugar] is simply a existent problem, peculiarly for group pinch type 1 diabetes," German says. It could beryllium particularly useful for group who person hypoglycemia but consciousness nary symptoms. The instrumentality isn’t disposable successful nan U.S. yet, but it whitethorn travel to nan FDA for support soon. 

• Lucentis. Doctors already usage this supplier to dainty nan oculus illness macular edema successful group who don't person diabetes. But successful February 2015, nan FDA made it nan first oculus medicine for diabetic retinopathy, a superior oculus problem linked to glucosuria and a starring origin of blindness among U.S. adults.