Insulin Therapy News

• Pegbelfermin Improves Non-Alcoholic Fatty Livers in Mid-Stage Trial Pegbelfermin reduced the hepatic-fat fraction in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in a phase 2a trial.
  Reuters Health Information, January 2019
• Novartis, China's Gan & Lee Push Into Insulin Amid Diabetes Epidemic Swiss drugmaker Novartis aims to become a big player in supplying insulin to swelling numbers of diabetics, signing a deal with China's Gan & Lee on versions of three blockbuster brands as the U.S. government is seeking to slash insulin costs.
  Reuters Health Information, December 2018
• Why the Reluctance to Use Biosimilar Insulins for Diabetes? As the US FDA announces that it will soon be changing the way it approves biosimilar insulins, Medscape examines why these cheaper versions of branded products are not more widely used in diabetes.
  Medscape Medical News, December 2018
• Fasting for Lab Tests Raises Hypoglycemia Risk in Diabetes Requiring patients with diabetes to fast before routine lab tests may unnecessarily place them at risk for hypoglycemia and possibly dangerous consequences. Authors call for amendment of guidelines.
  Medscape Medical News, December 2018
• Quarter of Insulin Users Skimp Because of Cost: Study Published Newly published study a reminder that a large proportion of US patients with diabetes are cutting back on doses because of cost, a practice often associated with poor glycemic control.
  Medscape Medical News, December 2018
• Insulin Pump May Have Drawbacks for Glucose Control in Pregnancy Insulin pumps may be less effective for glycemic control in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes (T1D) than multiple daily injections (MDI), new research suggests.
  Reuters Health Information, November 2018
• Endocrine Society Advice on Insulin Dose Adjustment for Libre The Endocrine Society has issued guidance for patients with diabetes on how to use trend arrow data in FreeStyle Libre glucose monitors to adjust insulin following similar advice for Dexcom G5.
  Medscape Medical News, November 2018
• Insulin Need Set to Rise 20% by 2030, but Access May Be Limited Rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes means insulin requirements will increase around the globe, but access needs to improve substantially to meet demand, a mathematical model indicates.
  Medscape Medical News, November 2018
• EASD 2018System Improves Less-Than-Ideally Controlled Type 1 Diabetes Partially automated insulin delivery system increases time spent in target glucose range and minimizes hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes who have suboptimal control, but is still far from a cure.
  Medscape Medical News, October 2018
• Novo Nordisk to Cut 250 Jobs in the United States Denmark's Novo Nordisk will cut around 250 jobs in the United States, a spokesman told Reuters on Friday, adding the drugmaker would also hire an as-yet undetermined number of staff to new positions.
  Reuters Health Information, September 2018
• Alert Possible Pen Needle Confusion Prompts FDA Safety Alert The FDA has received reports of patients using standard pen needles to inject insulin without removing the inner needle cover, leading to patient harm in some cases.
  News Alerts, September 2018
• EASD 2018It's Personal: EASD Focuses on Individualizing Diabetes Care Providing data for clinicians to help individualize diabetes treatment is one aim of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2018 Annual Meeting.
  Medscape Medical News, September 2018
• Gla-300 Comparable to IDeg-100 for Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes A head-to-head study of glargine 300 units/mL (Gla-300) and degludec 100 units/mL (IDeg-100) showed that both of these second-generation basal insulin analogs were comparable for treating uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, although hypoglycemia rates were lower with Gla-300 during the titration period, researchers say.
  Reuters Health Information, September 2018
• DIY Artificial Pancreas Users Tweet it 'Changes Lives' Study based on use of the #OpenAPS Twitter hashtag suggests that users of the DIY hack of an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor perceive it as effective, safe, and life changing.
  Medscape Medical News, September 2018
• Majority of Patients in Poorer Nations Not Taking Diabetes Meds Availability, affordability of essential diabetes medicines is still poor in low- and middle-income countries, with a new analysis from PURE indicating only 30% of patients are taking them.
  Medscape Medical News, September 2018
• WHO Issues Cost-Conscious Diabetes Treatment Guidelines World Health Organization guidelines target therapy for type 1 and type 2 diabetes in low-resource settings, differing in several ways from advice of the American College of Physicians.
  Medscape Medical News, September 2018
• Semaglutide Promising in Phase II Weight Loss Trial Obese patients experienced superior weight loss while taking semaglutide compared with liraglutide or placebo, in a phase 2 trial.
  Reuters Health Information, September 2018
• ADA Issues New Guidance on Type 1 Diabetes in Youth 'There are unique challenges that children and their families face. We have tried to provide a comprehensive approach to that,' says an author.
  Medscape Medical News, August 2018
• Little Difference Between Basal Insulin Analogs for Type 2 Diabetes Evidence comparing old versus new insulin analogs is poor quality. There are 'many options' and 'high price tags' but 'little ability to discern the potential benefits of one...versus another,' said one commentator.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Alert Deaths From Fentanyl, Fentanyl Analogs Have Risen Sharply Deaths from fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, such as carfentanil, have more than doubled since 2015, the CDC reports. The increase is a result of increased supply of the drugs and their mixture with heroin.
  News Alerts, July 2018