Diabetes

Published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, the study found a significant improvement in the blood pressure of T2DM patients who were counseled by a pharmacist.

Integrating behavioral health care into the space where care for diabetes occurs can be aided by new delivery models and by technology, panelists say.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, FACP, chief medical officer at Joslin Diabetes Center, moderates a discussion on the role of combination therapy in several ways, including early aggressive therapy with combination treatment and the combination of taking 2 medications in 1 tablet to encourage adherence with increased convenience and reduced copays. He is joined by S. Sethu K. Reddy, MD, MBA, FRCPC, FACP, MACE; Ravi Retnakaran, MD, MSc, FRCPC; Alexander Turchin, MD, MS; and Helen Feit, MD.

Dennis P. Scanlon, PhD, faculty member and health services researcher at Penn State University, associate editor of The American Journal of Managed Care, moderates a discussion regarding the idea of value as it pertains to the emerging treatments and approaches for diabetes care. He is joined by panelists David Brumley, MD, MBA; Edmund J. Pezalla, MD, MPH; and Michael S. Sherman, MD, MBA, MS.

Om P. Ganda, MD, director, Lipid Clinic, Joslin Diabetes Center, discusses cholesterol and lipidemia as high risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), where diabetes itself is a risk factor for CVD. Dr Ganda refutes the misconception that exposure to cholesterol complications begins for adults 40 years old or over; these complications, he points out, can begin at a very early age depending upon the individual. Individuals can face CVD in their early 20's and 30's due to the cumulative burden of cholesterol.

Howard Wolpert, MD, senior physician in adult diabetes at Joslin Diabetes Center, director of Joslin Institute for Technology Translation, and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, recognizes 3 issues with current care delivery models that with modification, can change diabetes care in this emerging digital health era. These factors, he pointed out, include: a serious lack of diabetes specialists, an unsuccessful acute-based therapeutic model that concentrates on prescriptive dose adjustment, and an unrealistic care delivery model of patient scheduled office visits. Dr Wolpert believes that care models currently in place are not effectively promoting patient engagement, self-care and self-management skills. Further, they do not adequately satisfying the needs of a patient with a chronic disease like diabetes who may require 24/7 support.

Dennis P. Scanlon, PhD, faculty member and health services researcher at Penn State University, and associate editor of The American Journal of Managed Care, leads a discussion on diabetes and patient care management that is concentrated on patient behavior, patient motivation, and ultimately, patient adherence. He is joined by Paul Ciechanowski, MD, MPH; Todd Prewitt, MD, FAAFP; Trishan Panch, MD, MPH; and Ronal Tamler, MD, PhD, MBA, CDE.

Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD, FACE, leads a discussion on how clinicians and diabetes educators can integrate clinical practices and multi-disciplinary approaches in managing patient lifestyles, and are more effective when covered by insurance. He is joined by Andrew S. Pumerantz, DO, FACP; Melinda Maryniuk, MEd, RD, CDE; Albert Tzeel, MD, MHSA, FACPE; and Edward Phillips, MD.

Frank Hu, MD, PhD, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, provides insight into the report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which spends days reviewing hundreds of thousands of scientific studies in order to develop the report that will later become the basis for policy decision making, according to Dr Hu.

Combination therapy in diabetes care can offer benefits but might not be right for certain populations or at certain stages of care.

A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia found that a TV program questioning the link between statin use and cholesterol reduction resulted in more than 60,000 Australians reducing or discontinuing the medication.

With a growing world population and a growing proportion of elderly, more people are living in suboptimal health around the world. A third of the world's population experienced more than 5 ailments in 2013, according to a study published in The Lancet.

This week the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions was held in Boston with results on 2 cardiovascular outcomes trials for diabetes drugs, and FDA advisory panels voted in favor of 2 PCSK9 inhibitors.

Considerations such as the potency of the drug, the practicality of the regimen, and the price go into decision-making.

In the keynote presentation at Patient-Centered Diabetes Care 2015, Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, discusses how new payment models can improve care in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

What patients have heard from others with diabetes matters when they receive a diagnosis, according to the opening speaker at Patient-Centered Diabetes Care 2015.

A proposed soda tax failed at the ballot last fall but may be revisited. Warnings would apply to outdoor advertising in the city limits.

The drug, baricitinib, is a JAK-STAT inhibitor being developed for rheumatoid arthritis. Research by scientists at the Unviersity of Michigan found a key role for the pathway in diabetic patients suffering from kidney disease.

Editorials that appeared during the run-up to the FDA advisory committee meetings noted the lack of long-term cardiovascular data and the need to be cautious about lowering cholesterol at any cost.

Developed jointly by Sanofi and Regeneron, alirocumab (Praluent) was approved 13-3 by an FDA advisory committee.

Results are the first from a cardiovascular safety trial in the GLP-1 agonist class. A commentator at the 75th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association asked whether the FDA-mandated studies are giving physicians the right information.

The long-awaited results, presented Monday at the 75th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, are expected to strengthen sitagliptin's position against its competitors in the DPP-4 inhibitor class.

In a packed session at the 75th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, the lead investigator told attendees how a matchstick-size device delivered exenatide, producing lower blood glucose levels.

An innovative education method asks an influential family member to take diabetes classes alongside the person with T2DM. The intervention produced positive health results for African Americans in a North Carolina study.

Patients who received canagliflozin from their health plan showed significant A1C improvement, even though the study group had poor glycemic control despite treatment with multiple therapies. The study period covered the months immediately following FDA approval.