Lots of news in the diabetes world … here are some interesting ones!
sugarBEAT by Nemaura, is a new CGM is approved and will be available for use in Europe by the end of 2017, according to a report on ASweetLife.com, 4/2017.
The sugarBEAT CGM uses a patch without needles. More specifically, according to a news release from the company, “the core platform diagnostic technology is based on micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) designed to non-invasively draw out glucose through the skin to a reservoir within a skin-patch, where it is measured by a sensor. The data is then sent by bluetooth to a mobile phone application where it is displayed in numerical or graphical form.”
The patch is applied after a finger stick blood test to calibrate the path. It then takes up to 30 minutes to warm up before it starts delivering glucose readings once every five minutes to an app.
The patch can be worn for up to 24 hours at a time but users have the flexibility to wear it for only a few hours or, “on an ad hoc basis,” according to Nemaura.
Read more: Needle-free Patch CGM to Launch in Europe
About Insulin!
Eli Lilly raised prices on 9 drugs last week, including Humalog and Humulin!
Pretty outrageous, coming on the heels of an Access Workshop, regarding insulin affodability & access. Read Mike Hoskins article on DiabetesMine, 12 May 2017: So, I am MAD …
Nevada Lawmaker Strips Refund Provision from Insulin Bill, as reported by AP, 2 May 2017.
A Nevada state lawmaker and backers of a proposal to control insulin prices on Tuesday withdrew a key provision of the bill that would have made the state the first in the U.S. to mandate drugmakers refund diabetics or their insurance companies when the price of insulin rises more than inflation. Read more: Nevada lawmaker strips refund provision from insulin bill
UT Health San Antonio Team Cures Diabetes in Mice, as reported on EurekAlert, The Global Source for Science News, 5 May 2017.
Dr. Doiron, assistant professor of medicine at UT Health, said, “We cured mice for one year without any side effects. But it’s a mouse model, so caution is needed. We want to bring this to large animals that are closer to humans in physiology of the endocrine system.”
Ralph DeFronzo, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Diabetes at UT Health, is co-inventor on the patent. He described the therapy: “The pancreas has many other cell types besides beta cells, and our approach is to alter these cells so that they start to secrete insulin, but only in response to glucose [sugar],” he said. “This is basically just like beta cells.”
Bruno Doiron, Ph.D., left, and Ralph DeFronzo, M.D., of UT Health San Antonio
Read more: UT Health San Antonio team cures diabetes in mice without side effects
Glycemic Variability and Microvascular Outcomes in T1D, in Clinical Endocrinology News, 12 May 2017.
Glycemic variability within the same day does not seem to impact the development of microvascular complications in type 1 diabetes, according to a recent study. This was reported in Diabetes Care, April 2017.
