DIABETES CARE
Inhaled insulin? Not yet
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to look at more data before making a final decision about approval of the first inhalable form of insulin.
The drug, which would be marketed under the name Exubera, is an inhalable, rapid-acting, dry powder insulin for treatment of adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The result of a joint-development program between Sanofi-Aventis and Pfizer, Exubera is inhaled into the lungs before a meal using a proprietary device and powdered insulin formulation developed by Nektar Therapeutics. The drug has been promoted as a convenient alternative to insulin injections.
An FDA advisory committee had recommended approval in September 2005, but the FDA backed off and said it wanted to review additional technical chemistry data submitted by the manufacturers first.
BREAST CANCER
A winning combination?
Two studies recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that combining the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) with chemotherapy can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence in women with early HER2-postive breast cancer when compared with chemotherapy alone.
In the first study, women who'd had surgery and completed at least four cycles of chemotherapy then received trastuzumab for 1 or 2 years; the study reported on the women in the 1-year group plus the control group. After 1 year of treatment, the women who'd received trastuzumab had a 46% reduced risk of death, cancer recurrence, cancer in the other breast, or cancer other than breast cancer when compared with the control group (surgery and chemotherapy only).
The second study was a joint interim analysis of two pivotal Phase III trials of trastuzumab plus chemotherapy. The analysis showed that adding trastuzumab to the treatment regimen reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 52% compared with chemotherapy alone. After 4 years of study follow-up, 15% of women treated with trastuzumab plus chemotherapy experienced disease recurrence, compared with one-third of women treated with chemotherapy alone.
HER2-positive breast cancer is an especially aggressive form of the disease that affects approximately one-quarter of women with breast cancer.
EYE HEALTH
Something's fishy with dry eye
Consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may reduce women's risk of developing dry eye, according to a recent study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dry eye syndrome, which affects more than 8 million people in the United States (mostly women), is characterized by reduced tear film quality or quantity. Symptoms include pain, irritation, dryness, and a sandy or gritty sensation. If untreated, dry eye can lead to corneal scarring or ulceration and, in some cases, vision loss.
Researchers learned that a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods like tuna and walnuts, has a protective effect on the eyes: Women who reported having at least five servings of tuna per week had a 68% reduced risk of dry eye syndrome, compared with those who had one serving of tuna per week.
Interestingly, consuming more omega-6 fatty acids (found in foods such as cooking and salad oils and animal meats) than omega-3 fatty acids may increase the risk of dry eye syndrome.
NEWS FLASH!!
Richard R. Gibbs, LVN, editor-in-chief of LPN2006, has been elected Vice President of the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas. The state board in Texas is a combined board of LVNs and RNs. Gibbs is a staff nurse on a 10-bed rehabilitation unit at Mesquite Community Hospital in Mesquite, Tex.