A medical device company with a needlefree glucose monitoring system that keeps a constant read of glucose levels in the blood has achieved positive clinical trial results in a study to monitor patients in a critical care setting.The study at Tufts University included 15 adult patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery. Echo Therapeutics’ (NASDAQ: ECTE) [...]

UPDATED 5/3/12A startup hoping to redefine “all-in-one glucose meter” is looking for a $3 million boost for its one-click diabetes testing device that combines a lancing device with nanotechnology sensors that measure blood glucose.Pepex Biomedical Inc.’s blood glucose meter, the Trio, combines all of the diabetes testing materials in one device and replaces test strips [...]

Diabetes drug alogliptin fell short of U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval on Wednesday, dealing a blow to the hopes of Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO:4502) and its partner, Furiex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:FURX).The complete response letter means Takeda will need to come up with more data if it wants to try again for FDA approval on its type [...]

Takeda Pharmaceutical’s (TYO:4502) diabetes drug alogliptin failed to secure U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.The agency issued a complete response letter for new drug applications of alogliptin and a combination drug that pairs alogliptin with another Takeda drug, Actos.“We will immediately request a meeting with the FDA to determine the appropriate next steps and are [...]

Today we might glimpse the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s thoughts on approving new type 2 diabetes drugs in a post-Avandia world.Nesina, a Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO:4502) compound licensed from Furiex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:FURX), is set for a prescription drug user fee act (PDUFA) decision today. The drug candidate, also known as alogliptin, was developed to treat [...]

Next-generation insulin developer Thermalin Diabetes has received a $4.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue development of its insulin analogs.The grant is expected to fund Cleveland-based Thermalin through the filing of an investigational new drug (IND) application for a rapid-acting insulin analog drug candidate, CEO Rick Berenson said.“We are very excited [...]

How much more likely would a diabetic be to check his blood sugar regularly, or a nervous patient to fulfill her doctor’s request for blood work, if there were no “ouch” factor involved?Howard Weisman, the CEO of Seventh Sense Biosystems, said the painless blood draw system his company is developing could show us the answer [...]

A clinical-stage company trying to reverse the damage and stop the progression of diabetes is getting a boost from $1.2 million in grants and a matching round of private funding.DiaKine Therapeutics Inc.’s lead product, Lisofylline, is a synthetic small molecule compound intended to directly enhance the insulin-producing function of islet cells and block the destruction [...]

Researchers have developed a new human stem cell line that could be used as the building blocks for new diabetes and liver treatments.The endodermal progenitor cells were produced by a team led by Dr. Paul Gadue, a stem cell biologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia‘s Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics. One use for the [...]

GlaxoSmithKline’s (NYSE:GSK) experimental type 2 diabetes treatment albiglutide now has initial results from its seven remaining phase 3 studies of the compound and the company says the data support moving toward a regulatory filing for the drug.The initial positive results follow albiglutide’s failure last year in the first of eight total phase 3 studies. Albiglutide [...]