BMS and AZ launch diabetes patient survey
pharmafile | June 19, 2009 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing |Â Â diabetesÂ
Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca have joined forces with Diabetes UK to launch a national patient survey on the effects of hypoglycaemia.
The two pharma companies are co-marketing the developmental type II diabetes drug Onglyza (saxagliptin), which is due to be launched in the UK later this year.
The patient survey is being conducted online at diabetes.org.uk and the results will be published before the end of 2009.
Timed to fit in with Diabetes Week next week, it will investigate the day-to-day impact of 'hypos' on people with type II diabetes.
A side-effect of some diabetes medications, hypos or hypoglycaemia occur whenthe level of glucose in the blood drops too low.
"Although we already know a lot about severe hypoglycaemia, little has been done to investigate mild-to-moderate episodes, which people can experience on a regular basis," said Diabetes UK chief executive Douglas Smallwood.
Symptoms range from hunger, sweating and shaking to confusion and irrational behaviour, and it can even cause loss of consciousness or a fit.
Quality of life is a key issue among hypos sufferers, according to Gwen Hall, diabetes specialist nurse at Surrey PCT.
"The true prevalence and impact on people with diabetes is underestimated and poorly understood," she says.
"We hope the results of the survey will raise the understanding and awareness of mild-to-moderate hypos and lead to the improved management of type II diabetes across the UK," says Dr Guy Yeoman, AstraZeneca UK's medical director.
BMS and AstraZeneca formed their partnership in January 2007 to research, develop and market Onglyza and another type II diabetes drug dapagliflozin.
The once-daily therapy is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) enzyme inhibitor, and works by affecting the action of natural hormones in the body called incretins which in turn lowers blood sugar levels.
The drug increases the active levels of incretin hormones to enhance patients' own ability to control blood sugar levels and has been shown to have a beneficial effect on glucose control.
Onglyza and other DPP-4 inhibitors such as MSD's Januvia (sitagliptin) and Novartis' Galvus (vildagliptin) have fewer side-effects than treatments such as GSK's Avandia (rosiglitazone).
Two million people in the UK currently live with Type II diabetes and more than 100,000 people are diagnosed each year.
Incidence of diabetes in the UK rose by 74% between 1997 and 2003.
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