Remember back in 2006 all the buzz surrounding Exubera, Pfizer's inhalable insulin product? It was much-hyped by Pfizer and, let's face, the media happily joined in too, spreading the word that (as Pfizer would have it) Exubera would be wildly successful and make squillions of dollars for investors.

It didn't work out that way at all. Sales so far have topped out at around four million dollars per quarter, far short of the two billion projected before the product was released. Now, in a bid to lift lackluster sales, Pfizer is launching a major ad campaign for Exubera. Yes, the inhaler device is extremely indiscreet. Yes, long-term use of the drug itself could cause lung damage. Oh, and health insurers may not cover prescriptions for Exubera for those diabetics who want to try it. But I guess where there's a slick selling strategy there's a way...into the pockets of consumers, that is.

Which is not to say I blame Pfizer. The company has poured so much money into this product, does it really have a choice at this point? No. Also, it's entirely possible Pfizer could turn things around. This article by Arlene Weintraub for Business Week reminds readers that the drug giant had enormous success with its clever ad campaigns for Viagra and for the incontinence drug Detrol. Writes Weintraub, this new campaign will probably cost Pfizer big-time: we're talking tens of millions of dollars, but it will be worth it for Pfizer if it can reproduce that kind of success.

For those of you following the Avandia story in the news, you're probably wondering how the patients currently taking Avandia are feeling. Are they flushing the pills down the toilet? What about the patients enrolled in GlaxoSmithKline's current Avandia clinical trial -- are they dropping out like flies? If you are unfamiliar with the Avandia debate, news broke last week that Avandia, a popular diabetes drug, may increase the risk of heart attack. A 43% higher risk.

It may depend on the specialty of your doctor. BusinessWeek has reported endocrinologists tend to be more skeptical of the study, noting its weaknesses compared to original, more rigorous clinical trials. Many cardiologists and drug safety experts give the study more weight, and remain worried about Avandia's potential cardiac danger. Doctors on the frontline are concerned patients may stop taking the drug without medical consultation as many are confused and frightened.

Dr. Nissen, the whistle-blower on Avandia and leader of the fight to withdraw Merck's arthritis drug Vioxx due to safety issues, acknowledges there are real limitations in his analysis, but he points out Glaxo's own data found a 30% increase in the risk of heart attack from Avandia. Nissen was alarmed enough to release his meta-analysis showing a 43% increased risk versus waiting for the results of Glaxo's 4,400-patient, eight-year clinical trial named RECORD, which is specifically measuring cardiovascular outcomes of Avandia.

Critics say Nissen went too far out on a limb this time as a meta-analysis examining 42 Avandia trials with varying research methodologies is not terribly reliable.

A Medco Health Solutions report found that spending on diabetes drugs could rise 70% by 2009, and was second only to cholesterol medications in 2006. Yet, myths about this condition abound. Life@work tells you what causes diabetes, and offers tips to help reduce the complications of the disease.

The following risk factors increase your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes: age, obesity, physical inactivity, and a high fat diet. Rarer causes of diabetes (including type 1 diabetes), include: certain medicines, as well as any illness that damages the pancreas and affects its ability to produce insulin. Eating sweets does not cause diabetes. However, it may cause obesity and this is associated with people developing Type 2 diabetes. Stress does not cause diabetes, although it may be a trigger for the body turning on itself as in the case of Type 1 diabetes. It does, however, make the symptoms worse for those who already have diabetes.

Diabetics can reduce heart disease by consuming ½ c. soy nuts. Half a cup of soy nuts (dry-roasted soybeans) every day, may work as well as anti-hypertension medication to lower blood pressure, a new study conducted on women at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found. A technique used in yoga to reduce stress and lower blood pressure is the Bhramari or Humming Bee. To perform this pose: Sit comfortably, eyes shut. Inhale and exhale deeply a few times. Inhale. While exhaling, hum gently, making an "mmm" sound. Lips must remain shut. You can also insert index fingers into each ear to feel the sound vibrating at your facial sinuses. This is one round. Do up to nine rounds. This exercise is used to create a meditative mind-set, for healing or controlling various ailments, from diabetes to digestive disorders. Pause for a moment today and enjoy some soy nuts and a humming bee pose.

Exubera, Exubera. What will become of you? That is the big question. Pfizer's eagerly awaited inhalable insulin device is nearing the market. For anyone following this saga, there is a must-read market analysis piece on Business Week's website. With the great title to boot: "From Pfizer, Irrational Exubera?"

The article looks at the big question everyone is asking about Exubera: will it be the blockbuster drug it's been hyped as? While Pfizer says it expects billions of dollars in sales (and the company is pouring millions into promoting the product), critics say it is an overhyped, overpriced product that could put some diabetics in danger of lung damage. Not to mention the device is the size of a county fair prize-winning squash! Who wants to suck on that in public?! Let alone tote it around. On the other hand, let's not forget it's big selling point: no needles. Yet critics maintain so-called needle phobia is not as widespread as Pfizer would have you believe.

If you check out this article, also take a look at the readers' comments at the end. There seems to be a fairly even split in opinion on this thing.

When I hear the word Nestlé I think "hmm, I could use some chocolate right about now." However, Business Week is reporting that Nestlé is branching out into...well, I wouldn't quite call it the health food market. The company is launching itself into the market for people concerned about their health, their weight, and diabetes. Scientists for Nestlé in Switzerland are working to develop high-tech food products that are tasty but bypass the usual harmful effects of junk food on the body.

Example? A new cereal bar that contains a fiber additive designed to avoid a surge in blood sugar after it has been eaten. Nestlé hopes to market the bar to Type 2 diabetics initially, but is also looking into the possibility of incorporating it into it's Stouffer's and Lean Cuisine brand meals.

I guess Nestlé has a shot at success if they can avoid an Olestra-type public image disaster. That's why they're sticking with using naturally occurring fats and fibers to essentially fool the body into feeling satisfied with less food.

This Business Week article contains a ton more information on the hows and whys of this shift. Check it out to learn more.

There's an article on the website of Business Week that I'd call a "must-read" feature. It profiles the efforts of Dr. David Eddy, who is a proponent of evidence-based medical care. Eddy believes that all too often the health industry is ignorant about which treatments actually work better than others. Not only that, Eddy says that physicians too often pass over cheap and effective treatments in favor of fancy high-tech options when there is sometimes no evidence that they work better than the old treatments. It was Eddy who lead arguments a few years ago that conventional methods of treating diabetes did not help prevent common complications of the disease, primarily heart attacks and strokes. He urged physicians to put at-risk diabetics on simple and inexpensive regimens of aspirin and generic drugs. The result? A dramatic improvement in the incidence of heart attack and stroke amongst diabetics. Eddy is still working on the diabetes problem, helping to develop a major initiative designed to get a million diabetics on these drugs. But this is just the tip of the iceberg - one aspect of a remarkable career. Read this article!