Local doctor studies effectiveness of drug for diabetics 11/15/2009 10:12 PM
By SUZANNE R. STONE Staff writer
Dr. Mackie Walker at Carolina Musculoskeletal Institute has checked and rechecked the effectiveness of a new drug for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
In 2004, Walker was skeptical of a PamLab drug rep's claims for a new medication called Metanx for treating diabetes-related pain in the feet. So he designed a small drug study to test it out and was pleased with the results. In 2005 he put 30 diabetic patients with foot pain on a standard dose of Metanx for a year and checked their pain levels after six months and at the end of the year.
"At six months, we noticed that, on average, about 60 percent of the patients had virtually normal sensation; 86 percent had normal sensation at the end of the year," Walker said. "I presented that study at a number of conferences; however, because the study did not have certain criteria, it was viewed with some skepticism by the medical community; therefore, I planned another study, which started in 2007."
For the second study, all 20 patients had controlled blood sugar levels, with hemoglobin A1c levels of 8 or less; 16 patients completed the study. The vast majority had nearly normal sensation levels at six months, and, by the one-year mark, that had dropped to normal sensation levels.
Ada Gallman was diagnosed with diabetes more than five years ago and controls it with a combination of diet and medication. Pain in her feet, which she attributed to her shoes, brought her to Walker in 2007. She entered the Metanx study and, with Walker, gave testimony about her results on the drug to the Department of Medicaid Pharmacy Review in Austin, Texas, two weeks ago.
"When I came here, my feet were killing me. I'm a cashier, and I had to get back in work mode," Gallman said. "I'm not really a medicine-taking person, but I knew I had to try something. I took Metanx regularly and gradually started feeling better, and I've reached the point where I can keep my shoes on all day - when I started, I could hardly wear shoes. I usually wear my diabetic shoes, but now I can wear my good shoes some too; my feet are doing well."
"We chose Ada as a poster child for the study because her response to the drug was the average for the study," said Walker. "Some patients responded faster and some responded slower, but her results were right in the center."
The studies' results underwent statistical analysis at Baylor University, and the first study was published in the magazine Vascular Disease Management. The second study is now pending publication in Diabetes and Its Complications Peer Review Journal.
Walker plans a third study of the drug with even more stringent patient criteria and is hoping to enroll 50 diabetic patients with more tightly controlled hemoglobin levels who are not taking any other medications for peripheral neuropathy symptoms.
Patients interested in the completed studies or participating in the upcoming study can contact Walker at Carolina Musculoskeletal Institute on Richland Avenue or call CMI at 649-3668.
Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.
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