Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Abbott device helps in cutting blood sugar in type 2 diabetics: study

Insulin-dependent patients with type 2 diabetes saw a significant drop in their blood sugar levels after wearing Abbott Laboratories Inc's continuous glucose monitoring system for three months compared with those who use routine fingerstick testing, researchers said on Saturday. The study, which was presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting in San Francisco, assessed the medical records of 363 type 2 diabetics in France, Germany and Austria between three and six months.

Experimental drug delays type 1 diabetes onset in mid-stage trial

In people at high risk for type 1 diabetes, 14 days of therapy with the experimental drug teplizumab delayed development of the disease by a year or more, according to results from a mid-stage study presented Sunday. The 76 study participants, who ranged in age from 8 to 49, faced a high risk of type 1 diabetes in part because their relatives had the autoimmune disease, which kills the beta cells in the pancreas that make and release insulin. Also, the volunteers all had tests showing diabetes-related autoantibodies that attack the pancreas, plus unhealthy blood sugar levels.