Diabetes News - December 19, 1999

Inhaled Insulin Gets Patent

Inhaled dry powdered insulin may soon be a reality. Inhale Therapeutic Systems Inc, a California biotechnology company in partnership with Pfizer, Inc, has been issued a U.S. patent on a method of using an aerosol inhaler to deliver insulin in a dry powdered form.

The patent covers delivery of 0.5 to 15 milligrams of insulin in 1 to 4 packets per dosing session and is not limited to a specific insulin or delivery device. In the clinical trials people with diabetes used the portable Inhale device. Using this device, they load packets of dry powdered insulin, push a button to create an aerosol cloud of insulin inside a built-in chamber, and then inhale the insulin through the mouthpiece.

Inhaled insulin is in Phase 3 clinical trials with support from Pfizer and another partner Hoechst Marion Roussel.

Unhealthy Habits Up Health Costs

People who smoke, are obese and live sedentary lifestyles have higher health costs. In an 18-month study of 5,689 healthcare-plan participants aged 40 or older, Dr. Nicolaas P. Pronk and colleagues at HealthPartners Research Foundation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, found that former smokers and current smokers had higher healthcare costs than non-smokers. Former smokers' costs were 26% higher and current smokers had 18% higher health costs.

As added motivation for new millennium's resolutions, they also found that for every one unit increase in body mass index (BMI is a measure of weight) health costs rose by 2% over the year and a half study period. A healthy BMI for men and women aged 19 to 34 is between 19 and 25. A healthy BMI for those over age 35 is between 21 and 27, according to US guidelines. Obesity is a BMI of 30 or above.

To counter these trends, for each day a week that a person exercises, their healthcare costs fell by 5%. This findings weren't really a surprise since sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and obesity raise the likelihood of developing major diseases like heart disease. high blood pressure, diabetes, and some cancers. The study was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Advice To Medicare: Pay For Diet Therapy

A three panel study by the Institute of Medicine, the medical arm of the National Academy of Sciences, recommends that Medicare start paying for several additional forms of health coverage, most importantly a registered dietitian to help patients with conditions that require a change in diet, such as heart disease and diabetes. They say that Medicare, the government health insurance for the elderly, has not kept up with medical changes.

The panel noted that diet and nutrition therapy used to be covered in hospital stays, but stays are shorter now and fewer dieticians are on staff. The elderly are not getting the help it takes to change to a diet low in salt, fat and sugar, with healthier portions of fruits and vegetables. This additional diet intervention would cost about $1.4 billion for the five years from 2000 to 2004.

The other major recommendation is removal of the time limit on paying for immune-suppressant drugs for transplant patients. The suggested guideline is to pay for these expensive but necessary drugs for a patient's lifetime. The previous limit was 44 months. These drugs can cost as much as $16,000 a year per patient. The cost of this change is projected as $778 million over the next 5 years.

Two other recommendations are that Medicare pay for patients taking part in clinical trials at a minimal cost and for dental care for cancer patients receiving radiation treatment to the head. The study also recommended against paying for routine screening for skin cancer.

New Internet Health Learning Centre

Where can you find a discussion of the symptoms, treatment options and prevention advice for every major ailment that affects the public? Pfizer Canada Inc. has provided a new Web site called the Learning Centre for answers for your health questions.

Pfizer Canada has worked for several years with health care practitioners to provide information with two different aspects, one aimed at the general public and people suffering from ailments, the other at physicians and pharmacists. As well as the three part information--symptoms, treatments and prevention--the Learning Centre offers a glossary of technical terms to clarify each ailment.

What are some of the diseases and conditions that are discussed on the site? Alzheimer's is described for the ways it affects memory as well as emotions, moods and behavior. The site offers advice on when treatment should be initiated and offers support for families as they deal with this situation.

In order to help people affected by sexual dysfunction, the Learning Centre offers many resources including an interactive questionnaire. Depression is discussed as to its symptoms and causes as well as information regarding the widespread incidence of it in the general public. The Learning Centre's Mood & Anxiety Disorder section helps users determine what they need to know about all sorts of psychological disorders.

Cardiovascular disease is also explained in all its parts, such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis, chest angina, heart attacks, cardiac insufficiency, stroke, diabetes or hypercholesterolemia. Of course, to learn more visit Pfizer's Learning Centre.

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