Medtronic Inc. has received clearance from the FDA for its OneTouch UltraLink Meter to wirelessly transmit glucose readings directly to insulin pumps and a continuous glucose monitoring system. This makes bolus dosing more accurate and easier for patients compared with the manual entry of blood glucose readings, the company said. Medtronic plans a staged launch of the meter.

A study of the data from Pfizer Inc’s three placebo-controlled clinical trials for Lyrica on 2,000 fibromyalgia patients has indicated that the drug reduced pain of fibromyalgia in patients regardless of whether they experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression at the beginning of the study. The new analysis confirmed that Lyrica was significantly more effective than placebo in reducing pain in patients with fibromyalgia.

The FDA has approved the Yulex Patient Examination Glove, derived from the guayule bush, a desert plant native to Southwestern U.S.A. According to Daniel Schultz, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, gloves made from guayule latex might prove to be a safer alternative for people who are sensitive to traditional latex, without sacrificing the desirable properties of the latter, such as flexibility and strength.

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, women who are on diets that are low in animal protein, high in plant proteins, fruits and vegetables, and include moderate low-fat dairy products, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, have lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Designed to stop hypertension (or high blood pressure), the DASH diet has already been shown to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels - top and bottom numbers, respectively.

Pharmacopeia announced that the results from its s Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating PS433540, its first-in-class Dual Acting Receptor Antagonist (DARA), will be presented as a late-breaking clinical trial at the 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) in New Orleans. PS433540 is being developed as a potential treatment for both hypertension and diabetic nephropathy, and is the first and only blood pressure product candidate in development that possesses two validated mechanisms of action in a single compound.