CRESSKILL, N.J., March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Even after published studies described Avandia's dangerous side effects, Type 2 diabetes sufferers, who are at the highest risk of developing fatal heart disease, were prescribed the drug in order to lower their blood sugar levels. Tens of thousands of suits have been settled by GlaxoSmithKline to resolve claims that its drug Avandia increased the risk of heart attack in Type 2 diabetes patients. Plaintiff attorneys with Avandia settlements, who are still waiting to get paid, are encouraged to contact RD Legal Funding, LLC ("RD Legal"), one of the nation's leading providers of lawsuit funding to attorneys. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110803/NY45278LOGO ) Avandia (rosiglitazone) proved a bitter pill for Type 2 diabetes sufferers who were already at increased risk of heart attack. In Type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin which the body requires to use glucose for energy. Avandia helped control diabetics' blood sugar by making the body more sensitive to its own insulin. First approved for use in the United States in 1998, Avandia became the world's best-selling drug for treating Type 2 diabetes. Heart disease and stroke are already the number one causes … Continue reading →

Public release date: 29-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Karen Kreeger karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu 215-349-5658 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine PHILADELPHIA A Penn- and MIT-led team explained how rapamycin, a drug that extends mouse lifespan, also causes insulin resistance. The researchers showed in an animal model that they could, in principle, separate the effects, which depend on inhibiting two protein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, respectively. The study suggests that molecules that specifically inhibit mTORC1 may combat age-related diseases without the insulin-resistance side effect, which can predispose people to diabetes. Senior author Joseph A. Baur, PhD, assistant professor of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Broad Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, MA, describe their work in this week's issue of Science. Baur is also a member of Penn's Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism. "The hope is that in the future, we will be able to develop molecules that target mTORC1 specifically, separating out the beneficial effects of rapamycin on aging and disease, and leaving behind the insulin-resistance side effect," says Baur. "Our results demonstrate that reduced mTORC1 signaling is sufficient to extend lifespan and mTORC2 … Continue reading →

It was a bittersweet discovery: a drug that extends life but at the cost of causing diabetes. Now the drug's dual nature has been teased apart, raising the prospect of a new life-prolonging drug without the harmful side effects. Rapamycin is regularly given to prevent transplant rejection and treat cancer. Previous studies have also shown that it extends the life of animals, but simultaneously causes glucose intolerance a side effect reported in humans, too. David Sabatini of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues, gave the drug to strains of mice that had genes for certain proteins silenced. They found that rapamycin acts on two important nutrient-sensing proteins called MTORC1 and MTORC2. Its effect on the gene for MTORC1 prolongs life, while its action on MTORC2 causes diabetes. Sabatini's team is now developing variants of rapamycin that act only on the gene for MTORC1. "If we could just target MTORC1, we could preserve longevity effects and get rid of the unwanted side effects," he says. Journal reference: Science, DOI: 10.1126/science4.1215429 If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist … Continue reading →