Mary Caffrey

Thea Danze lights up the room wherever she goes; she loves space and music and fire trucks. Since 2012, she has been the namesake and spokesperson for a foundation created to raise funds and awareness about pediatric brain tumors. Called Thea’s Star of Hope, the foundation supports development of therapies that will treat brain tumors without the toxic adverse effects that Thea has endured.

FAA policy on granting medical certificates to people who use insulin are based on policies created in 1949, and advocates for people with diabetes say there's been a revolution in technology and medication since then.

LifeScan, the diabetes division that Johnson & Johnson shed after ending US sales of its Animas insulin pump, will be the sole preferred provider of meters and testing strips for Express Scripts members in 2019.

States that ranked poorly are those with high rates of diabetes and obesity; those with high rankings have long-term commitments to getting people insured.

The lead author of a study appearing this month in Diabetes Care said other data support his findings, pointing to the potential for the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin to replace metformin as first-line therapy.

While overall cardiac deaths have dropped in recent decades, sudden cardiac deaths have not seen a similar decrease. Of the 200,000 people who have a sudden cardiac arrest in the hospital, only 24% survive.

Eli Lilly this week announced it has submitted applications to US and European regulatory agencies for nasal glucagon, which, if approved, could shave minutes and stress from the current method for delivering this hormone to people with diabetes experiencing severe hypoglycemia.

Findings from the Foundation for Government Accountability did not net out those who would be eligible for exemptions under CMS rules.

While the connection between diabetes and cancer has been known, this study was the first to show that women with diabetes face a higher risk than men with the disease.

Sulfonylureas are an older class of type 2 diabetes therapy but remain the most commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug after metformin.

Findings were consistent with earlier studies that link long work hours and diabetes as well as long periods of sitting with diabetes and obesity.

Interest groups representing drug companies, patients, providers, and health plans all submitted comments to a Request for Information on the Trump administration blueprint for controlling drug prices and out-of-pocket costs.

CMS Administator Seema Verma said the changes are designed to reduce administrative burdens for physicians so they can spend more time with patients. A group representing community oncologists said a reimbursement change for new drugs could have unintended consequences.

While this is not the first value-based contract involving a diabetes therapy, there are signals that these agreements will become more common as both payers and drug makers seek to hold down prices.

In recent years, diabetes advocacy groups have called for greater attention to measures beyond glycated hemoglobin when evaluating diabetes drugs, because avoiding hypoglycemia and spending more time in range are important to health and quality of life.

Experts at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Summit discussed the present challenges of transitioning to alternative payment models at a time when the costs of many cancer therapies are rising.

Only 5 fellowship programs in obesity medicine exist today, even though 50 are needed. The partnership will eventually bring the number of programs to 20 nationwide.

Real-world evidence received lots of attention as drug makers looked to compare therapies within a class.

From making the Oncology Care Model work to the challenges of paying for CAR T-cell therapy, panelists at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Summit discussed how the cost of innovation affects decisions.

The results suggest employers can make a different in health costs through a 2-step process: using testing to identify those at risk, and following up with evidence-based programs of lifestyle change and support.

During remarks at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Conference, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, called for more data sharing and explained how the FDA is working to modernize the clinical trial process.

The guidance from the American College of Physicians continues to drive debate on how to care for adults with diabetes.

Lessons from the first meeting of The American Journal of Managed Care® Population Health Council.

AJMC® Convenes First Gathering of Institute for Value-Based Medicine to Share Best Practices in New Payment Models in Cancer Care

The survey found that the real cost of living with diabetes goes beyond what people spend out of pocket, and includes the toll the disease takes on relationships, work, and outside interests.

The authors say there has been a recent uptick in hosptial admissions from hypoglycemic events, and that a therapy to address this is needed.

Health plans are under scrutiny to address social determinants of health, which include food insecurity and poor housing.

The ban on letting people in Medicare connect their continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to a smartphone drew ire from patients, advocates, and even the Government Accountability Office.

Nearly two-thirds of those participating in the study reported feelings of stigma from having to manage type 1 diabetes.