Diabetes researchers seek volunteers

With diabetes diagnoses reaching “epidemic proportions,” a clinical research study is being conducted in Honolulu to test a medication that could stabilize blood-sugar levels and reduce the risk of long-term complications. The East-West Medical Research Institute and the affiliated Diabetes and Hormone Center of the Pacific (DHCP) are participating in a Type 2 diabetes study to test an investigational medication that may potentially stabilize blood sugar levels to prevent complications.

The institute is currently seeking individuals aged 25-70 who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for at least a year and are currently taking an oral medication. Qualified participants will receive study medication, study-related physical examinations and laboratory tests at no cost. Compensation may be available as well.

The study may help the nearly 17 million people nationwide who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. That’s an increase of nearly 700 percent since 1958, due in large part to the growing prevalence of obesity in American adults. The association estimates that nearly 95 percent of the cases are Type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes (versus insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes).

“While there is no cure, there are ways to control diabetes which may reduce the risk of long-term complications [such as] attention to diet, exercise, weight control and monitoring blood sugar levels,” said Sarah Fowler, patient recruitment assistant with the Dallas-based clinical trial services company D. Anderson & Company. “In addition, many people may need medications in combination with [these] lifestyle changes … to keep their blood sugar level within the normal target range.”

The DHCP — which actively seeks partnerships with pharmaceutical companies in clinical trials — was founded in 1990 to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date diagnosis and treatment available for people with diabetes and other hormonal (endocrine) problems. Under the direction of Dr. David Fitz-Patrick, it also specializes in hormonal disorders ranging from hyperthyroidism to menopause.

As well as treating patients from Hawaii, the center’s multilingual staff also sees patients from the Mainland, Australia, Canada, Guam, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and throughout South-East Asia and the Pacific Basin.

For more information about the research study, contact the East-West Medical Research Institute at 525-7461.