A new study finds that combining the newer diabetes drug exenatide with insulin provides better blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes than insulin alone and helps promote weight loss.

ORLANDO, Fla., June 26, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

A major national diabetes study was halted Wednesday after researchers found that cutting blood sugar to near normal levels in certain patients actually increased the risk of death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this month that the prevalence of heart disease dropped 14% in diabetics ages 35-64 from 1997 to 2005. Since the mid-1990s, rates of other complications caused by a lack of insulin have declined, the CDC reports.

By Sabine Vollmer, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Jun.