Changing from a once-a-day dose to a once-a-week dose of a GLP-1 medication can sometimes be confusing. It’s important to get the timing right when you stop the daily dose and start the weekly dose. And it doesn’t help that the pens for a daily medication like Victoza look very similar to the pens for […]
Diabetes activists, including both physicians and patients, joined together in Washington, DC this past weekend to protest the high cost of insulin in the U.S. The protest was held on April 8 and organized by the Right Care Alliance, an activist group that states their mission is to hold “health care institutions accountable to communities […]
Many patients with diabetes struggle with weight management, and many drugs used to treat diabetes can further contribute to weight gain. Researchers have found that the SGLT-2 inhibitors, a newer class of drugs, are very effective when combined with diet and exercise in helping patients lose weight. Researchers have found that the amount of weight […]
SGLT-2 inhibitors are the newest diabetes drug class on the market, and to date research on their long-term safety has been lacking. The American Heart Association has published the results of a major meta analysis which reviewed all the available trials and studies. The researchers found that use of SGLT-2 inhibitors led to a 20% […]
Novo Nordisk, the world’s largest insulin manufacturer, is looking to transform the diabetes market with a pill. Its oral semaglutide medicine is currently in late-stage trials, with a planned launch date in 2020. Semaglutide, one of the GLP-1 drugs, stimulates insulin production. It’s currently available as a once-weekly injection, and Novo hopes that the pill […]
People with diabetes are more than twice as likely to die from heart disease as those without diabetes. To help reduce the risk of heart disease and manage type 2 diabetes, it’s important to eat healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats, along with getting regular exercise. But even […]
A new drug, Pemafibrate, currently in a phase 3 clinical trial in Japan, may significantly improve lipid profiles and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia. The results follow those of several large-scale clinical trials which show that treatment with drugs of the fibrate class can decrease triglyceride levels and increase high-density […]
Every day, doctors and other prescribers write prescriptions for patients with diabetes. But how can they choose the best medication from all the many drugs, and combination drugs, available today? And how can they make sure that the patient will be able to afford the drug they want to prescribe, when there are more than […]
Obesity and diabetes are often linked, and prescription drugs can have varying effects on weight. Research has found that certain drug types such as sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors (for example, Invokana and Jardiance) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) (for example, Victoza and Trulicity) may help with weight loss. On the other hand, […]
Some diabetes educators find that the holiday and new year seasons are a time when patients want a fresh start — perhaps with a change of medication. A certified diabetes educator (CDE) talks about her experience working with patients around this time of year, and why it’s so important not to make changes to your […]
“Nonadherence” is what doctors call it when patients don’t take their prescription medications as prescribed — or at all. This is such a widespread problem that some experts consider it an “epidemic” in itself, in that the failure to take medication as prescribed can cause serious health problems, or make illnesses like diabetes worse. Some […]
You may trust your doctor to keep up to date with the latest treatments for diabetes, but a new poll shows that many doctors struggle to stay informed on all the new drugs and devices entering the market. In a recent survey, 149 endocrinologists about a new drug ertugliflozin. (At the time of the survey, […]
The FDA recently approved three new drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, all featuring the new SGLT-2 inhibitor, ertugliflozin. The first, Steglatro, is ertugliflozin available in 5-mg and 15-mg tablets, approved for adults with type 2 as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control. The second, Steglujan, is a tablet […]
GLP-1 agonists are a class of drugs that are widely used to treat type 2 diabetes. Drugs of this type have been shown to improve glycemic control and also to decrease systolic blood pressure, decrease triglycerides, increase sodium excretion, and promote weight loss. Exenatide is a popular GLP-1 agonist that has been used for over […]
For HIV-positive individuals, combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been a lifesaving treatment, allowing people with HIV to have near-normal life expectancies. However, these patients may have a higher risk of developing diabetes than the general population, and at earlier ages. The risk is higher for those who took older formulations of ART, and for those […]
A biosimilar is a biological product defined as being comparable (but not identical) to an already FDA-approved biological product, in molecular structure, safety, and effectiveness. Because they are not identical to the reference product, they differ from generic drugs, which have identical molecular structures and active ingredients to those of the brand name products. The […]
A new study found that the diabetes medication metformin, most commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, also has particular benefit for children with type 1 diabetes, particularly for heart health. For children with type 1 who are above average weight, metformin provided a significant improvement in vascular smooth muscle function. Metformin also improved HbA1c […]
A new analysis of multiple studies examined health interventions and their effectiveness in people with prediabetes. The analysis found that changes in diet, physical activity and weight loss, along with the use of certain insulin-sensitizing medications, can prevent progression to diabetes in at-risk individuals. However, the analysis also found that the risk rose again right […]
A new study suggests the diabetes drug liraglutide is effective in improving weight loss and quality of life in patients with obesity and prediabetes. A greater proportion of participants who lost weight over 3 years in the liraglutide group compared to the placebo group. Together with diet and exercise changes, liraglutide achieved long-term improvements in […]
Have you ever heard of “ghost pills”? It’s nothing to do with Casper or poltergeists. It’s a situation you may experience with some controlled or extended release medications, such as extended release metformin. The formulation of the pills means they may look like they haven’t been “digested.” In other words, you may notice the remains […]