I. Avandia Fact File

Avandia was launched by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a world-leading, research-based pharmaceutical company operating in more than 100 countries and employing more than 100,000 people worldwide. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a world leading research-based pharmaceutical company with a powerful combination of skills and resources that provides a platform for delivering strong growth in today's rapidly changing healthcare environment. Headquartered in the UK and with operations based in the US, the new company is one of the industry leaders, with an estimated seven per cent of the world's pharmaceutical market.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has more than 20 research and development (R&D) facilities around the Globe, with an annual R&D budget of around $7 billion and more than 16,000 people employed in R&D.

GSK also has leadership in four major therapeutic areas - anti-infectives, central nervous system (CNS), respiratory and gastro-intestinal/metabolic. In addition, it is a leader in the important area of vaccines and has a growing portfolio of oncology products.

GSK also has a Consumer Healthcare portfolio comprising over-the-counter (OTC) medicines; oral care products and nutritional healthcare drinks, all of which are among the market leaders.

II. Avandia Medication

Avandia medication is one product in a class of prescription drugs called thiazolidinediones (thigh-a-zol-a-deen-die-owns) or TZDs. It is used to treat type 2 diabetes by helping the body use the insulin that it already makes more efficiently. Avandia medication does not cause your body to make more insulin.

Avandia medication , in addition to diet and exercise, improves blood sugar control in adults with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. Generic Avandia can be used alone or in combination with a sulfonylurea, metformin, or insulin when diet, exercise, and one of these agents or diet, exercise, plus Avandia medication alone are not enough to control blood sugar.

Benefits of Avandia medication:

• Generic Avandia improves how the body uses insulin.
• Avandia medication decreases the amount of glucose released by the liver.
• Generic Avandia does not cause the body to make more insulin; therefore, when used alone, Avandia medication does not cause low blood glucose (hypoglycemia). If used in combination with some diabetes medications, hypoglycemia may occur.

Antidiabetics: Information

Diabetes is known to be a progressive disease. This means that as people with diabetes go through life, diabetes will change. So will the ways it needs to be treated. Sometimes diet and exercise are all that is needed to get blood glucose (sugar) levels back to a normal range. But when your blood glucose can't be controlled with diet and exercise alone, your doctor may prescribe medication to help you lower your blood glucose levels. Moving to new types of treatments, such as medication, does not mean failure. It just means that the body can no longer do its job on its own and needs a little help.

Oral medicines prescribed for type 2 diabetes help control blood glucose by making more insulin, making insulin work better or by delaying the breakdown of sugars and starches. Some of these pills, either alone or when used with other treatments, may lower blood glucose levels too much. It is important to test blood glucose levels regularly and keep the doctor informed if the levels are consistently low.

For number of people, diet, exercise and oral medications such as Amaryl drug are all that the body needs to feel healthy. For others, insulin injections may be added to keep blood glucose levels from getting too high. The extra insulin helps lower the levels to where they should be. Amaryl medication may be used in combination with insulin and may reduce the amount of insulin you need. Combined use of Amaryl with Metformin (Glucophage) or insulin may increase the potential for blood glucose levels to be too low.

Diabetes: Information

Diabetes is a disorder characterized by hyperglycemia or elevated blood glucose (blood sugar). Our bodies function best at a certain level of sugar in the bloodstream. If the amount of sugar in our blood runs too high or too low, then we typically feel bad. Diabetes is the name of the condition where the blood sugar level consistently runs too high. Diabetes is the most common endocrine disorder.

Diabetes is divided into two main subgroups: Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. This division is based upon whether the blood sugar problem is caused by insulin deficiency (Type 1) or insulin resistance (Type 2). Insulin deficiency means there is not enough insulin being made by the pancreas due to a malfunction of their insulin producing cells. Insulin resistance occurs when there is plenty of insulin made by the pancreas (it is functioning normally and making plenty of insulin) but the cells of the body are resistant to it's action which results in the blood sugar being too high.

Type 1 Diabetes: Information

Type 2 diabetes: Information

Type 2 Diabetes is more common than Type 1 Diabetes. Where as Type 1 Diabetes is characterized by the onset in young persons (average age at diagnosis = 14), Type 2 Diabetes usually develops in middle age or later. This tendency to develop later in life has given rise to the term "adult onset diabetes". The typical Type 2 Diabetes patient is overweight although there are exceptions. In contrast to Type 1 Diabetes, symptoms often have a more gradual onset. Type 2 Diabetes is associated with insulin resistance rather than the lack of insulin like seen in Type 1 Diabetes. This often is obtained as a hereditary tendency from one's parents. Insulin levels in these patients are usually normal or higher than average but the body's cells are rather sluggish to respond to it. This lack of insulin activity results in higher than normal blood glucose levels.

Causes of Diabetes

In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas secretes little or no insulin. Unable to use glucose in the blood, the body tries to produce energy by burning fat and muscle. Type 1 diabetes usually develops before age 20.

Type 2 diabetes usually develops in people over age 40, and much more likely in people who are overweight. Although this particular group of patients may have sufficient or even excessive amounts of insulin in their systems, their bodies are unable to use the hormone effectively — called insulin resistance. Excessive food intake boosts blood sugar levels, and the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to convert the extra sugar into energy. Sometimes a similar form of this disease, called gestational diabetes, occurs as a temporary condition in women who are pregnant.

Risk Factors for Diabetes

Risk factors for type 1 diabetes include:

• Family history of type 1 diabetes
• Being white
• Having islet cell antibodies in the blood

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:

• Being overweight
• Family history of diabetes
• Being of Hispanic, African American, Native American, or Asian origin
• Being over 40 years of age
• Impaired glucose tolerance — a pre-diabetes condition in which blood sugar levels are too high after eating
• High blood pressure
• Abnormal blood cholesterol levels
• Heavy alcohol use
• Smoking
• History of gestational diabetes
• Women with polycystic ovary syndrome

The Role of Insulin in Diabetes

See Diagram 3: The Role of Insulin: Carbohydrates that we eat make our blood glucose (sugar) rise. To utilize the carbohydrates and lower the blood sugar, insulin opens the doors of the body's cells to glucose circulating in the blood. The glucose enters the cells and is used as the cells' fuel for energy. Insulin binds to a spot on the cell surface called a receptor. Likened to a lock and key, insulin is the key that opens up the lock (receptor) so that glucose can pass through the door into the cell. Using this analogy in type 1 diabetes, the keys have been stolen (no insulin is made by the pancreas). In type 2, the door won't open fully even with the right key (insulin resistance).

Side effects of Antidiabetics

SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS OF ANTIDIABETICS

Notify your health care provider as soon as possible if any of these symptoms occur:

Body as a whole

• urine - dark colored
• fever
• chills
• sweating
• weakness - unusual
• unsteady walk
• respiratory
• coughing up blood
• shortness of breath
• eyes, ears, nose, and throat
• yellow eyes
• sore throat
• vision problems
• skin
• itching, redness or inflammation
• yellow skin
• cool, pale skin
• gastrointestinal
• stool - light colored
• stomach pain - mild
• hunger - excessive
• nausea or vomiting (continuous)
• heart and blood vessels
• chest pain
• bleeding or bruising (includes internal loss of blood)
• heartbeat, rapid
• nervous system
• fatigue
• difficulty concentrating
• confusion
• drowsiness
• headache (continuous)

MINOR SIDE EFFECTS OF ANTIDIABETICS

These symptoms need no attention unless they become annoying:

Body as a whole

• taste, changes
• skin
• hives
• sensitivity to the sun, increased
• gastrointestinal
• appetite changes (increase or decrease)
• heart and blood vessels
• heartburn
• constipation
• diarrhea
• nervous system
• shortness of breath

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III. Useful links

http://www.cdc.gov/

http://www.fda.gov/

http://www.fda.gov/cder/ogd/

http://www.nih.gov/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/

National Library of Medicine

World Health Organization

http://www.mayoclinic.com/index.cfm

MedicineNet.com

Drugdigest.org

Healthsquare.com

http://www.gsk.com/about/about.htm

http://avandia.diabeteslife.com/avandia/avandia_drug.html

http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/druginfo/avandia.HTM

http://www.joslin.org/education/library/avandia.shtml

http://www.endocrineweb.com/diabetes

Pharmacy sites

http://www.roche.com/home/company/com_hist.htm

http://www.healthdigest.org/Bactrim-DS(Oral)_2006_PRO.php

http://www.hsforum.com/stories/storyReader$1509

http://www.hsforum.com/stories/storyReader$1504

http://www.people.vcu.edu/~urdesai/atc.htm#Process%20of%20clotting

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