Diabetes

Although there were many updates in various facets of diabetes care, one change stood out. New recommendations call for 2 drug classes to be used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and comorbidities: sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.

We are in the regulatory process to get an indication for the treatment of heart failure in both type 2 and non-type 2 diabetic patients, and this serves as just the start of the scientific investment that we have made with dapagliflozin, said Kiersten Combs, BS, US vice president of Cardiovascular Metabolism at AstraZeneca.

Researchers constructed a risk prediction model of hospitalizations due to heart failure (HHF) for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), according to a Clinical Cardiology study.

The company said that with the clearance, the FDA outlined standards for a new device category, the interoperable automated glycemic controller designation.

The agency said this was the first such approval, as the purified omega-3 fatty acid is now approved to be used alongside statins to treat elevated cholesterol levels and cut the risk of events such as heart attacks or strokes. The drug was first approved in 2012 for patients with elevated triglycerides.

This week, the top managed care stories included the White House seeking a truce between CMS Administrator Seema Verma and HHS Secretary Alex Azar; Sanofi will shift its focus from diabetes to cancer drugs; results highlight real-world evidence of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies.

Sanofi is ending research efforts in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; the White House endorsed an emerging bipartisan agreement on legislation aimed at curbing rising healthcare costs by targeting surprise medical billing; the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case involving whether the federal government owes insurers $12 billion in a dispute about risk corridor payments.

Limiting eating to a 10-hour window benefitted patients with metablic syndrome, according to a study published Thursday.

The findings from researchers at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlight the public health risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes, which have been tied to recent studies that find rising deaths from heart failure and even an overall drop in US life expectancy, with the long-term rise in obesity playing a role in the decline.

A high-tech drug testing machine is being utilized to detect fentanyl in illicit drugs; the Massachusetts governor enacts a stingent vaping flavor ban; data on blood-sugar levels for patients with diabetes using Dexcom's continuous glucose monitor (CGM) has been unavailable since Saturday.

The findings have important implications, the authors wrote, as the study confirms “the potential clinical utility of empagliflozin for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and [nonalcoholic steatohepatitis."

Three straight years of declining life expectancy—from 2014 to 2017—have roots that go back to the 1980s, when the authors say US life expectancy began to lose pace with other countries.

Humana outlined its progress in its third annual Value-Based Care Report, which details growth and evolution in this area since 2016, both in the number of agreements and in its spread across more parts of the country.

EMPRISE (Empagliflozin Comparative Effectiveness and Safety) will examine 5 years of real-world data on empagliflozin, which is sold as Jardiance by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim. The study is comparing data on empagliflozin with that for dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. This latest interim analysis also features a cohort comparison with glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.

The pioglitazone safety warning issued in South Korea, which recommended prescribing with careful attention among those with high risk of bladder cancer, led to a moderate decrease in pioglitazone users.

This week, the top managed care news included Medicaid tightening the reins on supplemental payments; employers needing more data to control benefit costs; experts saying prior authorization mostly burdens patients.

Chronic disease affects most employees in the United States, and today, on World Diabetes Day, Managed Care Cast speaks with the lead author of a study about chronic disease that will appear in the November issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®. Author Maren S. Fragala, PhD, CSCS.D, talks about how employer-sponsored health screenings can help identifiy previously undiagnosed disease, enabling early detection and treatment, and help keep workers healthier.

Solera announced this week that the company has expanded its relationship with Blue Mesa Health to offer a Spanish-language Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Transformemos as a covered California Medicaid (Medi-Cal) member benefit.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

Patients with diabetes who participated in a program of group medical visits (GMVs) and intensive weight management showed improvements in glycemic control, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

This week, the top managed care news included CMS started planning for life after the Oncology Care Model; a judge blocked a rule requiring immigrants to have health coverage; Election Day brought news for Medicaid work rules.

Oral semgalutide’s price, along with its potential for adverse events, caused ICER to give empagliflozin the edge in cost effectiveness as physicians and health plans evaluate which type 2 diabetes therapy should be given after metformin.

This week, the top managed care stories included a report from the FDA considering how to avoid drug shortages; a white paper finds rising comfort with telehealth even as use of digital health tools stagnates; data show a spike in the number of uninsured children.

Rising rates of obesity and diabetes have raised concerns that more people could be headed for end-stage renal disease (ESRD); thus, Medicare has been seeking ways to reduce the cost of care and to improve the quality of life for people on dialysis. Scientists are focusing on whether more patients with early-stage type 2 diabetes should take sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, which have been shown to slow renal decline.