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Mark Marino
Mark T. Marino, MD, is an internist and a clinical pharmacologist. He did his internal medicine training in the Army at Eisenhower Army Medical Center and his pharmacology training at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). He became the Chief of the Pharmacology Research Section at WRAIR and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, before joining the pharmaceutical industry. He has worked in early clinical drug development at several companies, including Novartis, Eisai, and Roche, prior to joining MannKind Biopharmaceuticals as head of Early Clinical Development. MannKind is currently developing medicines to treat diabetes and cancer.
Diabetes Drugs: Exercise
Diabetes Drugs: Meglitinides
This class of drugs, also known as the nonsulfonylurea secretagogues, is relatively new compared to the sulfonylureas (chlorpropamide [brand name Diabinese], glyburide [DiaBeta, Glynase, Micronase], glipizide [Glucotrol], glipizide extended-release [Glucotrol XL], and glimepiride [Amaryl]), with the first meglitinide being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1997… [Glucotrol XL], and glimepiride [Amaryl]), with the first meglitinide being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1997. Meglitinides act in a similar manner to the sulfonylureas but with a few major differences…
Diabetes Drugs: DPP-4 Inhibitors
DPP-4 inhibitors, a relatively new class of drugs for Type 2 diabetes, were introduced in 2006. Sitagliptin (brand name Januvia), the first medicine in this class, was approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in October 2006; in July 2009, a second DPP-4 inhibitor, saxagliptin (Onglyza), was approved…
Diabetes Drugs: Pramlintide
Many people do not think of the brain when considering the causes of or treatments for diabetes. So it may be surprising to learn that the drug we are discussing today works by activating brain cells…
Diabetes Drugs: Sulfonylureas
Sulfonylureas among were the first oral medicines available for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. They were discovered by accident in France by a researcher who was working on drugs for typhoid fever. Animals that were given sulfounylureas displayed unusual behaviors and were found to have hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). It was quickly recognized that these drugs could be used for the treatment of diabetes…
Diabetes Drugs: GLP-1 Agonists
A curious fact that has been known almost since the discovery of insulin is that glucose taken by mouth stimulates insulin secretion to a greater degree than glucose that is injected straight into the bloodstream. Researchers theorized that a hormone might be released by the gastrointestinal tract in response to glucose that was able to stimulate insulin secretion above and beyond that stimulated by glucose alone. This then-undiscovered hormone was called “incretin,” since it seemed to stimulate insulin production…
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