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A new drug that helps control blood sugar by acting on the brain has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Cycloset, made by VeroScience, is an improved version of bromocriptine, which is used in higher doses to treat Parkinson’s disease amongst other conditions.
The drug has now been shown to cause a peak of activity in a brain chemical that resets a body clock, which in turn helps control metabolism in Type 2 diabetes.
Studies by VeroScience show that one dose in the morning helps lower the usual post-meal blood sugar rise at breakfast, lunch and dinner. A third of Cycloset users reached recommended average blood-sugar levels compared with 10% given a placebo.
Cycloset is the first to be approved by the FDA under new rules that require treatments to be safe for people at risk of heart disease, which includes most diabetics.
Those given Cycloset had 42% fewer heart attacks and other cardiovascular complications, according to studies.
Copyright Press Association 2009
