It's in the News.. the top diabetes stories of the past seven days. This week: new research looks at off-label use of GLP and SGLT drugs for people with type 1, Medtronic gets 780G approval in Canada, finger prick early detection of type 1, and lots going on for Diabetes Awareness Month.
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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 T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population.
https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/
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And by my new book “Still The World's Worst Diabetes Mom: More Real Life Stories of Parenting a Child With Type 1 Diabetes” available on Amazon now.
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Our top story this week,
Researchers say a blood test for early diagnosis of type 1 diabetes can stave off serious illness and hospitalization in children. This Australian study looked at the finger prick sample that is collected in the home and mailed to the lab. It included more than 17-thousand children and young adults, mostly in families with a history of type 1. The team of researchers are the first to use this method to screen diabetes in Australia. They said, We want to make type 1 diabetes screening accessible to every Australian child no matter where they live. Our recent work has proven that we can do this cheaply, accurately, and conveniently,"
The study is published in Pediatric Diabetes.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-home-screening-diabetes.html
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Medtronic gets the okay from Canada for it’s MiniMed 780G system. It’s now available in more than 60 countries around the world, with the U.S. notably missing from the list. Current 770G users will be able to upgrade their devices with the new system’s software. The MiniMed 780G is equipped with Medtronic’s SmartGuard technology, a hybrid closed-loop system what works with Medronic’s CGM. It’s approved for ages 7-80. Medtnoic submitted to the FDA in the spring of 2021, nearly a year after securing CE mark approval in Europe.
The U.S. sign-off has been slow to arrive, however, thanks in large part to the FDA’s discovery of quality control issues at the California headquarters of Medtronic’s diabetes business. A December 2021 letter from the agency outlined shortfalls it discovered at the Los Angeles-area facility in a routine inspection, prompting Medtronic to implement corrective actions and other process improvements to address the issues.
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/still-awaiting-us-approval-medtronics-auto-adjusting-insulin-pump-lands-canadian-nod
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People with type 1 diabetes who take GLP-1 receptor agonists or SGLT-2 inhibitors in real life seem to line up with controlled trials. The GLP-1 medicines have brand names like Ozempic or Trulicity and the SGLT-2 are Invokana or Jardiance. These are newer medications and people with type 1 are cautioned to take them carefully because of the higher risk of DKA. However, these researchers say after 12 months of use people taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist had a significant reduction in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), from an average of 7.7% to 7.3% (61 to 56 mmol/mol), as well as in bodyweight, from an average of 90.4 to 85.4 kg. and they used less insulin overall.
SGLT2 inhibitors were used by 39 study participants for an average duration of 24.2 months, mostly with the intent to achieve better glycemic control (73.3%), but also for weight loss (37.8%), reduced insulin requirements (26.7%), and reduced glucose variability (24.4%). Also, about 12% of users initiated SGLT2 inhibitors for their beneficial cardiovascular or renal properties.
In line with clinical trial findings, these real-world users had significant reductions in average HbA1c after 12 months of use, from 7.9% to 7.3% (63 to 56 mmol/mol), and in basal insulin dose, from a daily average of 31.3 to 25.6 units, but not in bolus insulin.
And contrary to the results of controlled trials, although SGLT2 inhibitor users had a weight reduction, this was small and not statistically significant, at an average of 89.2 and 87.5 kg before and after 12 months, respectively.
https://www.medwirenews.com/diabetes/real-world-adjunctive-medication-outcomes-type-1-diabetes/23662504
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Taking a personalized approach to kidney disease screening for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may reduce the time that chronic kidney disease (CKD) goes undetected. The finding, published in Diabetes Care(link is external), provides the basis for the first evidence-based kidney screening model for people with T1D.
Current CKD screening recommendations include annual urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) testing for anyone who has had T1D for at least five years. The new findings suggest that AER screening could be personalized to optimize testing frequency and early detection of CKD. Specifically, people with T1D who are at low risk of developing CKD could be tested for AER less frequently to reduce burden and cost, and those at high risk for CKD could be tested more frequently to facilitate earlier CKD detection. People with T1D have an estimated 50% risk of developing CKD over their lifetime. Important to note, these numbers and this study is based on 30 years of data, dating back to the landmark DCCT trial.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-funded-study-finds-personalized-kidney-screening-people-type-1-diabetes-could-reduce-costs-detect-disease-earlier
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Lots of stuff happening for diabetes awareness month. Embecta Corp. (“embecta”) (Nasdaq: EMBC), one of the largest pure-play diabetes care companies in the world, today announced it will ring the opening bell at Nasdaq on November 1, 2022, in recognition of National Diabetes Awareness Month.
“We are proud to celebrate this year’s Diabetes Awareness Month by ringing the Nasdaq Opening Bell with representatives of several organizations that make diabetes, and supporting the people who are living with diabetes, their sole focus,” said Devdatt “Dev” Kurdikar, president and chief executive officer of embecta. “Our company is honored to recognize the patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and advocacy organizations working together to improve access to education and progress toward the vision of a life unlimited by diabetes.”
embecta also recognizes the 100-year milestone of the first successful injection of insulin that was administered to a person with diabetes. Today, 1 in 10 adults around the world live with diabetes1, an estimated 537 million people, and almost half don’t know they have it.
“Our community often faces stigma and isolation associated with diabetes as we frequently practice self-management of the disease,” said Anna Norton, chief executive officer of DiabetesSisters. “Increased access to education and resources that will improve the standard of care and quality of life across the community is essential, and we’re proud to stand with embecta to share in this mission.”
The bell ringing ceremony will be streamed live via Nasdaq’s Facebook page. Additionally, highlights from the ceremony will be shared across embecta’s social media channels. Please visit embecta.com for additional information regarding Diabetes Awareness Month.
About embecta
embecta, formerly part of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), is one of the largest pure-play diabetes care companies in the world, leveraging its nearly 100-year legacy in insulin delivery to empower people with diabetes to live their best life through innovative solutions, partnerships and the passion of more than 2,000 employees around the globe. For more information, visit embecta.com.
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Dexcom has teamed up with ESPN’s Adam Schefter – his wife has type 1 – to launch Dexcom U, the first-ever NIL (name, image, likeness) program designed to celebrate college athletes with diabetes and inspire people with diabetes who have athletic dreams of their own. NIL is name image likeness, it’s the new program that allows college athetes to be paid. Dexcom says According to a recent study, nearly half (43%) of adults with Type 1 diabetes felt like quitting sports and physical activities because of their diagnosis, and one in five (20%) went through with quitting. These athletes tell their stories and how Dexcom helps them. I’ll link up the video and we are set to speak with some of them in the next couple of weeks.
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A new study released by the American Diabetes Association® (ADA), illustrates the significant barriers that low-income Americans, people of color, older Americans, and people with diabetes living in states with the highest prevalence of the disease face in accessing continuous glucose monitors (CGM). These barriers are especially high for Americans on Medicaid, who are the least likely to have access to a CGM. CGMs continually monitor blood glucose (blood sugar), giving real-time updates. The devices provide significant, potentially life-changing benefits for diabetes management, and in turn for the avoidance or delay of serious co-morbidities, hospitalizations, and even death.
“It is disappointing to see that access to vital diabetes management tools like CGMs often depends on your income, the color of your skin, your age, and where you live,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer at the ADA. "The ADA is committed to addressing access barriers—such as inadequate health insurance coverage, steep Medicare and Medicaid coverage requirements, and physician shortages—to ensure that everyone who can benefit from a CGM can get one.”
The ADA is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, state Medicaid programs, and Congress to eliminate barriers people face in accessing diabetes technology like CGMs. The CGM study is available on the ADA’s website.
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Diabetes on Nasdaq
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Great start to a blog post by Tim Street, he writes over at DiabeticTech. He’s trying out 6 CGMs currently on the market.
Dexcom ONE
Medtrum Nano
Dexcom G6
Glucomen Day
GlucoRX Aidex
Freestyle Libre2
You can check out his blog to see the photos of him wearing all of the CGMs and hear his methods for testing.
https://www.diabettech.com/cgm/unboxing-and-applying-the-six-cgms/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
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Dexcom also has a See Diabetes campaign for this month which gives you a chance to create your own overlay patch. I’ve created one for the show, you can it on social along with others with the #SeeDiabetes hashtag. Patti LaBelle, Mark Andrews and Nick Jonas are taking part.. If you design an overlay – I’ll put the link in the show notes – you may be order a few for free – they’re saying limited supply. A cynic would say this is a creative way to use up the G6 overlay patches before the G7 comes out but.. personally I think it’s a really creative and fun idea. I like how mu patch came out, but I doubt my son will wear it!
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Back to the news in a moment but first..
The T1D Exchange Registry is a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. The platform is open to both adults and children with T1D living in the U.S. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. The registry aims to improve knowledge of T1D, accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies, and generate evidence to support policy or insurance changes that help the T1D community. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy.
The registry is now available on the T1D Exchange website and is simple to navigate, mobile and user-friendly. For more information or to register, go to www.t1dregistry.org/stacey
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On the podcast next week.. Tom from Type One Talks
The past episode was all about thinking through your use of CGM, questions to ask of yourself, your family and anyone with whom you plan to share.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts
That’s In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.