If you use test strips to measure your blood glucose level, be aware that the FDA has issued a warning on some counterfeit One Touch strips sold for use with some models of glucose monitors from LifeScan.

LifeScan alerted the FDA of the counterfeit strips. Using these strips could cause patients to take too much or too little insulin based on the inaccurate readings.

The counterfeit strips are identified as:

* One Touch Basic®/Profile® (lot #272894A, 2619932 or 2606340) test strips; and,
* One Touch Ultra® (lot #2691191) test strips.

Consumers with questions can call the company at 1-800-621-4855. For more information visit LifeScan dot com.

A new study seems to indicate that the diabetes drug Avandia can do more than treat diabetes type 2. It may actually be able to prevent it.

The Lancet reports that 5,269 adults with pre-diabetes were divided into two groups. One group was given a placebo, the other was given Avandia. 200 patients taking Avandia developed type 2 diabetes while 658 patients taking a placebo went on to develop the disease. These results indicate that taking Avandia may prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in two-thirds of pre-diabetes patients. These results are slightly higher than with strict lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and adding exercise.

Dr. Alvin Powers at Vanderbilt University also hesitated to call this a breakthrough. “This is very important data. More research is needed to determine how this drug should be applied in diabetes prevention.”

Study: Drug May Prevent Diabetes