It’s In the News, a look at the top stories from the diabetes community from the last seven days. This week: predictions of a huge increases in cases of type 2, insulin prices are capped for those with Medicare, Omnipod commits to a basal-only pump for people with type 2, and more!
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Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I’m Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days.
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In the news is brought to you by Athletic Greens! AG1 is way more than greens it’s daily nutrition made really simple
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New study says the number of young people in the United States with diabetes will increase by nearly 700% over the next 40 years. This was a projection study using numbers from the past 20 years and was published in the journal Diabetes Care. The CDC believes that "the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity," as well as "the presence of diabetes in people of childbearing age," could be two reasons for why the number of young Type 2 diabetics has increased so rapidly. There is some evidence that COVID 19 may also have something to do with more cases of diabetes but there isn’t enough data to know for sure.
https://www.wibw.com/2023/01/03/cdc-predicts-huge-spike-diabetes-among-young-adults-next-40-years/
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As of January first, the monthly out-of-pocket cost of insulin is capped at $35 for seniors on Medicare. That’s part of the Inflation Reduction Act in effect on Jan. 1. In August, Republicans blocked a provision in the bill that would have capped the out-of-pocket cost of the drug for everyone on private insurance. There was no provision for the uninsured. It’s not clear whether insulin pricing will come up again during this new congress.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/insulin-cost-cap-people-diabetes-no-benefit-rcna58165
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Insulet is planning a basal only pump, looking at the type 2 market to compliment their Omnipod pump. The newly announced device is designed for patients with Type 2 diabetes who receive daily or weekly injections of basal insulin. Unlike Insulet’s other devices, it doesn’t have a controller, but has a built-in basal conversion rate. They hope to have it on the market by 2024. In an earnings call late last year Insulet announced a 42-percent increase in revenue in the US. They’ll plan a European launch of Omnipod 5 in mid-2023.
https://www.medtechdive.com/news/insulet-omnipod-5-q3-earnings-record-PODD/635811/
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Beta Bionics appoints a new Chief Medical Officer as the company quote - for the commercial launch of the iLet Bionic Pancreas System. As of right now, the iLet is still in front of the FDA but it sounds like it may be getting close to approval. Dr. Steven Russell is the new CMO here.. Dr. Russell has directed nearly all of the bionic pancreas clinical trials. The bionic pancreas – renamed the iLet a few years ago – operates using only the person’s body weight, no basal rates or other settings – and input about the size of meals, not carb counts.
https://www.newswire.com/news/beta-bionics-appoints-dr-steven-russell-as-chief-medical-officer-in-21920409
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Lilly’s Emergency Glucagon Kit is now out of production. They announced last year that they will discontinue the red box emergency kit at the end of 2022 in the US. The company says with newer options like Baqsimi nasal spray, Gvoke and Zegalogue pens, the demand isn’t there. If you do prefer the older kit – really the only way to do those mini-glucagon shots some people really like – there are still two options – Novo’s GlucaGen Hypo Kit – the orange box and a generic made by Amphastar.
https://diatribe.org/glucagon-options-expand-lilly-discontinues-emergency-kit
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Another move forward to islet transplantation. Houston Methodist Medical Center in Texas delivered islet cells and immunotherapy directly into a 3D-printed device named NICHE, which is similar to a bioengineered pancreas. It’s about the size of quarter and goes under the skin. There’s a tiny port that means the device can be refilled with medication. These researchers say they’re probably three years from human trials.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-726001
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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved semaglutide brand name Wegovy for teenagers with obesity. When Wegovy was approved for use in adults with obesity in June 2021, it was labeled a "game changer." The results in teens – who also received what they call lifestyle intervention – were close to the results seen after bariatric surgery. Wegovy is a once weekly shot – it’s also sold with a lower dose as a type 2 treatment with the brand same Ozempic. Same drug, lower dose.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/986403
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On the podcast next week.. A father and daughter who both live with type 1 – they were diagnosed at the same age – talk about their experience with eye health. What’s changed and what’s still the same for people with diabetes. And we get guidance and info about prevention and treatments available.
Last week’s show our 2023 prediction episodes!
That’s In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.
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