US Exercises Half as Much as It Should
Americans should exercise about twice as much as the 2 hours a week they report, researchers said, after analyzing current data on more than 100,000 respondents of all ages. The CDC recommends adults ages 18-64 get about 4 hours of physical...
Two New Weight Loss Drugs Approved by FDA Advisory Committee
If finally approved by the FDA, they will be the first diet pills to reach the market in 13 years....
Questioning Carbohydrate Restriction in Diabetes Management
Patients with type 2 diabetes are usually advised to keep a low-fat diet. Now, a study shows that....
Keep Your Waist Circumference to Less than Half Your Height
According to new research presented at a scientific meeting, waist to height ratio better is a better predictor of CVD and diabetes than BMI....
WHO Warns of Spread of High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Obesity
New health data provided the clearest evidence to date of the spread of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease from developed nations to poorer regions such as Africa, as lifestyles and diets there change....
Bypass Beats Angioplasty for Patients with Diabetes
Patients with diabetes who undergo bypass surgery to open clogged heart arteries may live longer than their counterparts who chose angioplasty....
The Body Clock Paves Way to Obesity
The mismatch between the body's internal clock and our daily schedules not only make us sleepy, but it also contributes to the growing tide of obesity....
Obesity Projected to Grow to 42% in U.S.
Obesity in the US is projected to continue its rise over the next 18 years, extending to 42% of Americans by 2030, and the cost is projected to reach $549.5 billion....
Doubts Over Long Term Effectiveness of Group Education for Diabetes Patients
A new study states that there are no long term benefits from type 2 diabetes group education programs....
Study Looks at Cost of Lowering HbA1c Cutoffs
In the low-cost intervention, the researchers determined that lowering the HbA1c cutoff from 6.0% to 5.9% would cost….
America's Waistline Expands and Costs Soar
The additional medical spending due to obesity is double previous estimates and exceeds even those of smoking....
AACE/ACE Diabetes Algorithm for Glycemic Control
View or download the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists diabetes...
Number of people with High Cholesterol Drops
Data just out from the CDC show that only 13.4% of adults in the U.S. have high cholesterol, according to data collected in 2009 and 2010. A decade earlier, 18.3% of American adults had high cholesterol. High cholesterol starts at 240 milligrams of...
ADA/EASD Issue New Hyperglycemia Management Guidelines
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) have issued a joint position statement emphasizing patient-specific treatment of hyperglycemia in persons with type 2 diabetes....
Noncompliance Linked to Mortality in Diabetes
Insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes who are noncompliant with their medication or clinic appointments face increased all-cause mortality....
UCTV Prime: The Skinny on Obesity (video)
Is sugar a toxin that's fueling the global obesity epidemic? That's the argument UCSF's Dr. Robert Lustig made ...
Next Generation of U.S. Doctors Sees Gloomy Future
A majority of young doctors feel pessimistic about the future of the U.S. healthcare system, with the new healthcare law cited as the main reason. Nearly half of the 500 doctors surveyed think the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's policy...
The Challenges for the Self-Management of Diabetes
People with diabetes invest a lot of time and effort managing their condition including not only monitoring the level of sugar in their blood, organizing their medication and following a restrictive diet, but also social challenges ...
AACE Endorses New Lower LDL Targets and ApoB Testing
New guidelines on dyslipidemia and the prevention of atherogenesis give official sanction to something endocrinologists have been doing for years: lowering LDL targets....
Periodontal Treatment Saves 1800 Dollars per Year for Diabetes Patients
Patients with diabetes who are treated for periodontal disease are less likely to see a physician and less likely to be hospitalized. Furthermore, they cost the healthcare system $1800 less per patient per year....
National Diabetes Statistics, 2011
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse has released the new...
Peer Mentoring Helps Reduce A1c a Full Point
Talking with diabetic peers who've gotten their blood sugar under control helped other African-American diabetes patients bring down their own levels a full point, more than those who were offered $100 to reduce their A1c 1 point or even $200 to...
Diabetes and Statin Meds May Become Available without a Prescription
Prescription drugs to treat some of the most common chronic diseases, such as high cholesterol and diabetes, may become available over the counter under a plan being considered by U.S. regulators....
Lifestyle Counseling Dramatically Reduces Time to Reach Treatment Goals
Lifestyle counseling, practiced as part of routine care for people with diabetes, helps people more quickly lower blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels and keep them under control....
Public Reporting of Quality Measures Improves Diabetes Care
In one of the first studies of the impact of publicly reporting quality measures on outpatient care, a research team found that clinics made improvements in diabetes care when they began publicly reporting how they were treating patients...
Stop Using Sulfonylureas?
The ACP has issued a clinical practice guideline regarding use of oral agents in type 2 diabetes entitled, "Oral Pharmacologic Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of...
FDA Adds Diabetes Warning to Statin Label
The FDA said last week that all statins must carry warnings about increased risks of elevated blood sugar and possible transient memory and cognition problems, but at the same time the agency removed a standing recommendation for routine...
Text Messaging Helps to Manage Diabetes
New published research assessed the feasibility of engaging adults with diabetes in self-management behaviors between clinic visits by using cell phone text messaging to provide blood sugar measurement prompts and appointment...
Many Physicians Do Not Follow ADA-recommended Prescribing Guidelines
Thirty-five percent of the time for 250,000 newly diagnosed diabetes patients, physicians did not follow the ADA/EASD consensus guidelines for recommended treatment....
Unnecessary, Expensive Tests Used to Diagnose Neuropathy
The high cost of diagnosing peripheral neuropathy could be greatly reduced if doctors ordered the right tests....
FDA Advisors Recommend Approval of Obesity Drug Qnexa
The FDA Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted overwhelmingly (20 to 2) in favor of approving the obesity drug Qnexa (Vivus, Inc.), a combination of phentermine and controlled-release topiramate. Qnexa could be the...
Qnexa Approval Paves Way for another Obesity Drug
An FDA advisory committee's endorsement of the anti-obesity drug Qnexa could re-energize the pharmaceutical industry after several years of disappointment in trying to develop anti-obesity drugs....
Doctors Finally Advising Patients to Exercise
The number of doctors in the US telling patients to get physically active has increased in the past decade. New research shows that, in 2010 alone, one in three patients who visited a physician or other health professional had been told to...
Bolus Calculation, Flexible Insulin Ups Diabetes Control
A structured course teaching the benefits of automated bolus calculator use and flexible intensive insulin therapy improves metabolic control and satisfaction in patients with type 1 diabetes....
New Codes for Reimbursement from Medicare for Preventive Services
You've probably heard that Medicare now covers an additional set of preventive services, such as intensive behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease risk and obesity, and screening for depression. But do you know the rules concerning...
BPA's Diabetes Link Strengthened by New Study
Growing evidence suggests that even minuscule amounts of BPA (used in everything from pesticides to water bottles) can scramble hormone signals, and trick fat cells into taking in more fat or mislead the pancreas into secreting excess...
SPECIAL FEATURE: Readers Respond to Dr. Richard Kahn’s Statement: "Diabetes Prevention is a Waste of Resources"
For Dr. Kahn's comments and the Joslin Diabetes Center's response, see our article in last week's newsletter:
Doctors Only Advise 1 in 3 People to Exercise
Only one in three people in the US say their doctor advised them to start exercising or continue doing so during an office visit over the course of a year....
Three New Programs Improve Diabetes Care in Low-Income Areas
In Los Angeles and Chicago, programs designed to improve the management of diabetes in underserved populations appear to be working....
Joslin Replies to Dr. Richard Kahn’s Statement: "Diabetes Prevention is a Waste of Resources"
Physicians strongly disagree with statements made by former executive of the American Diabetes Association....
Electronic Health Records Improve Care for Type 2 Diabetes Patients
Use of electronic health records shows promise for improving care and outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes, but still has considerable room for improvement....
Pollution Tied to Diabetes and Hypertension Risk
In a study of more than 4,000 black women in Los Angeles, those who lived in areas with higher levels of traffic-related air pollution were at increased risk of diabetes and hypertension....
A Cost Comparison of a Basal-Bolus Regimen Vs. Premixed Insulin in Type 2's
The study investigated the comparative costs of two different insulin regimens in type 2 diabetes based on data from the GINGER study, which investigated the efficacy and safety of an intensified insulin regimen....
Monthly Appointments Most Effective for Patients with Diabetes
Diabetes patients who receive regularly scheduled monthly care to learn how to improve their health have a more rapid recovery compared with similar patients who receive only sporadic healthcare visits....
The Three Key Features of High-Quality Primary Care
Americans with access to three key features of high-quality primary care have a lower risk of death....
Diabetes Disaster #68: FDA ALERT -- Insulin Pen Sharing
Insulin Pens and Insulin Cartridges Must Not Be Shared. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert to health care professionals reminding them that single-patient insulin pens and insulin cartridges should not be used...
Weight Loss Is Not The Answer for Preventing Diabetes
Richard Kahn, PhD, who was the chief scientific and medical officer of the ADA for nearly 25 years stated at a conference that, "Community-based weight-loss programs have not been shown to be effective at reducing the incidence of diabetes, so...
Diabetes Mellitus 101 for Medical Professionals, PART 1
This week we begin a new Homerun Slides series on Diabetes Mellitus 101 for ...
Commercial Disease Management Programs are Ineffective
Commercial disease management models did not reduce hospital admissions or emergency room visits, or result in cost savings in a study of nearly 250,000 Medicare patients....
Medicare Reimbursement Update
In yet another warning to lawmakers, a new survey of group practices shows that 51% will reduce the number of available appointment slots for new Medicare patients if Congress does not avert a 29.5% Medicare pay...
Diabetes Drug Dapagliflozin Rejected by FDA Panel
A federal advisory committee voted 9 to 6 on July 19 that a first-of-its-kind diabetes drug should not be approved for use because of safety concerns, including a possible increased risk of breast and bladder cancers....
FDA Warns Healthcare Professionals to Closely Monitor Patients with Diabetes Receiving Liraglutide Injections
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned healthcare professionals to closely monitor patients with diabetes receiving liraglutide injections (Victoza, Novo Nordisk) for thyroid C-cell tumors and acute pancreatitis....
FDA Pulls Diabetes Drug Avandia from Drug Stores
The controversial diabetes drug Avandia, known generically as rosiglitazone, will no longer be available in most pharmacies after November....
New Study Pushes to Expand 'Prediabetes' Label
Having normal blood sugar levels is no guarantee against developing type 2 diabetes down the road, according to researchers. What should we do with a person with a fasting blood sugar on the higher end of normal between 91-99 mg/dL who has...
Letter from the Editor: More Electronic Prescriptions and "The Question is, My Dear Watson, Why Did the Dog Not Bark?"
This week, a new study from Surescripts found that the use of electronic prescribing in 2010 increased by 72% over 2009, climbing to 326 million up from 190 million e-prescriptions in 2009. By the end of 2010,...
Prescription Drug Spending Increases by Very Low Rate
The national tab for prescription drugs last year grew at the second-slowest pace ever measured by a prominent health data firm.
ADA Launches Diabetes 24/7
Diabetes 24/7 is a new application using personal health records that will...
Kentucky Becomes First State to Require Licenses for Diabetes Educators
AADE says the move will ensure the delivery of high quality diabetes education and should be replicated by other states.
CDC National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011
Diabetes affects 25.8 million people or 8.3% of the U.S. population: 18.8 million have ...
Cost-Effectiveness Strategies, Part 1
Evaluation of the Kaiser Permanente Northern...
Low Magnesium Levels May Be Associated with Proton Pump Inhibitor Drugs
Because magnesium is important in controlling diabetes, patients who use these PPIs should be aware of possible low magnesium levels....
Editor's Note: CDC Slides, ADA/PDR Wrap-up, and More
Last week I was working on a presentation for the ASCP mid-year meeting and needed some up-to-date graphs on the incidence of diabetes in the US. Our publisher, Steve Freed, came across the CDC 2011 diabetes report and it was exactly the data...
CDC's 2011 Numbers
This graph compares the incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among children and...
Product of the Week:Insulin Vial Protection by Securitee Blanket
Insulin Vial Protection by Securitee Blanket
Letter from the Editor: More CDC Data, LTC Caregiver and Patient Education, and the Latest Diabetes Management Apps
The CDC just released new data in their 2011 fact sheet which got overlooked in most journals. They now estimate that 26.9% of all patients over 65 have diabetes. This is almost 11 million patients and many of them...
FDA Spells Out Who Can Use Rosiglitazone
Rosiglitazone label updated to include elevated risk of cardiovascular events....
Tool for Your Practice: CDC Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011
CDC Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011
This fact sheet from the CDC...
Letter from the Editor: CDC Numbers Show Dramatic Increase in Diabetes
The official numbers from the CDC are out for 2011 and once again the number of patients with diabetes is up. Last year my PowerPoint slides topped out at 24 million but this year the CDC has upped the number to nearly 26 million Americans. At this...
Diabetes Care Will Cost $336B by 2034
More than 44 million Americans will have diabetes within 25 years under current trends, and the annual cost of caring for them will triple to $336 billion in constant 2007 dollars....
Half in U.S. Have Pre-Existing Conditions
As many as 129 million Americans under age 65 have medical problems putting them at risk of being rejected by insurance companies or having to pay more for coverage....
Letter from the Editor: ACA Redux and Temporary Medicare Formula Fixes
This week we had a chance to see why government moves at the speed of dirt. It does not matter which party you favor: you have to wonder about our leaders and the way they waste money and time in order to get even. The GOP took over the House...
FDA Still Inconclusive about Lantus Cancer Risk
Eighteen months after starting a probe of potential cancer risks associated with insulin glargine (Lantus), the FDA still hasn't decided whether the concern is justified....
Lilly Applies for Expanded Use of BYETTA® with Basal Insulin
A supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) has been submitted to the FDA for the expanded use of BYETTA® (exenatide) injection as an add-on therapy to basal insulin, with or without metformin and/or a thiazolidinedione (TZD) in conjunction...
Sharing Clinical Data to Improve Quality of Care and Outcomes
In a major boost to comparative effectiveness research, six of the nation's top healthcare organizations announced that they will share clinical data in an effort to improve quality of care and reduce expenses for several common but costly...
Medtronic Launches the First Diabetes Management Software to Offer Advanced Decision Support
Medtronic announces the FDA approval and market launch of CareLink® Pro 3.0 Therapy Management Software, the first software program to offer advanced decision support to healthcare professionals managing diabetes.......
Special Edition: Best of 2010
As I look back over the past year, it has been quite a ride for all of us in healthcare and in diabetes.
Congress passed the historic healthcare reform law but will it stay? Part of that bill reduced payments to physicians by 24% and...
Tool for Your Practice: Medicare Part D Pharmacist Quick Reference Guide
2011 Medicare Part D Pharmacist Quick Reference Guide
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Letter from the Editor #551: Medicare Coverage Extensions and Part D Plans
As we come to the end of the year, there is some good news out there for our patients. Last week Congress finally got their act together and realized that patient care for seniors would suffer if the proposed cut in physician reimbursement...
Letter from the Editor: Lap-Band at Birth -- Is It Possible?
I was reviewing some charts with a physician this past week and she made a comment about how many of her younger patients, 18-30 year olds, were overweight and just keep getting bigger. Jokingly I commented that maybe we should put a Lap-Band on at...
World Comparison Shows U.S. Healthcare Lacking
A third of Americans say they have gone without medical care or skipped filling a prescription because of cost, compared to 5% in the Netherlands, according to study....
Letter from the Editor: AMA Internet Guidelines, Medicare Cuts, Benfluorex
Steve and I have been involved with the internet for over 10 years providing information to medical professionals. There have been a lot of changes in the way information is disseminated over this time period. More importantly, instant content and...
Letter from the Editor: Shared Medical Appointments
Happy Thanksgiving to all our loyal readers:
There is a study that came out this week that can be a win-win for both clinicians and patients pointing to the value of Shared Medical Appointments. As we all have heard, unless Congress...
Letter from the Editor: November Special Edition
Often when we think of cutting edge technology or modern methods of care the private sector tends to get all the attention and it seems that often government agencies only catch up years later. However, when it comes to healthcare innovations, the...
Letter from the Editor #547: FDA Fallout and Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement Rates
The fallout from recent FDA decisions concerning new medications for diabetes and obesity continues to be a topic of discussion among medical professionals. Last week I was at the annual meeting of the American Society of Consultant...
Survey Suggests that Many Physicians Still Have Relationships with Industry
Relationships with drug manufacturers, device companies and other medical companies appear to have decreased since 2004 but remain common among physicians, according to a new report in JAMA....
FDA Says No to Another Weight Loss Drug
The FDA has told the makers of the proposed weight-loss drug Lorcaserin that it will not at this time approve the marketing of the medication, citing concerns about its marginal effectiveness and about cancers that occurred at...
Letter from the Editor: 1 in 3 Adults Will Have Diabetes by 2050
Just this week the CDC announced that as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue: that’s not 1 in 3 born after 2000, that is 1 of every 3 adults period. It is estimated that there will be 420 million...
ILUVIEN® FACT SHEET
OVERVIEW:
Alimera Sciences, Inc., ...
CDC: Diabetes Cases Could Triple by 2050
Older, more diverse population and longer lifespans contribute to increase....
Editor's Note: Bydureon Update
I had hoped that this week’s Clinical Mastery edition would have included information from the Duration Trials for the once weekly form of exenatide, Bydureon. Many of us had been anticipating approval of this revolutionary treatment for...
Federal Judge Upholds Individual Mandate in Healthcare Reform Law
US District Judge George Steeh, in Detroit, Michigan, ruled that the nation's constitution permits the federal government to require individuals to obtain health insurance coverage as part of the historic Affordable Care Act...
Letter from the Editor: New Healthcare Rules
Some new healthcare rules took effect last week offering a measure of safety and security for our diabetes patients. As part of the healthcare reform act of 2010, adult children can stay on their parents' insurance through age 26, they cannot...
FDA Reviewing Preliminary Safety Information on Actos (pioglitazone)
FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients that the agency is reviewing data from an ongoing, ten-year epidemiological study designed to evaluate whether Actos (pioglitazone) is associated with an increased risk of bladder...
Letter from the Editor: Further Setbacks for Weight Loss Drugs
We all know that insulin dosing mistakes are the number one medical error, but what happens when our patients don’t take enough insulin? They often develop DKA or HHS. How often do these occur, why do they occur, what is the difference...
New First in Class Type 2 Diabetes Drug Cycloset® Launches November
VeroScience announced that they have entered into a distribution and license agreement granting Santarus exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialize Cycloset®, which has been approved by the FDA as an adjunct to diet and exercise to...
FDA & CDC WARNING: Limit Fingerstick Devices to Just One Patient
Fingerstick devices along with insulin pens should never be used with more than one person…
Diabetes Patients Medical Treatments Cost Hospitals $83 Billion
Hospitals spent $83 billion in 2008 caring for people with diabetes with one out of every five hospitalizations being a person that has diabetes. This was according to a report prepared by the Healthcare Research and Quality Agency...
Interview with Dr. Lou Vaickus, Tolerx, Question 7
DJ: What is the anticipated timeline for commercialization if all goes well?
Letter from the Editor:Social Media and the Drug Companies
Our patients often use the internet to learn more about the conditions we diagnose and the medications and procedures we use to treat them. Often they come to us with good information and seem to have become "specialists" at their own condition. At...
AADE: Diabetes Training Programs Trims Healthcare Costs
A group that promotes education and awareness around diabetes is calling on the government and private insurers to use diabetes education as a cost-saving strategy....
Nutritional Labeling and Point-of-Purchase Signs Work to Make Better Choices
With over 30% of U.S. adults obese, the significant adverse health effects of obesity (including heart disease and diabetes) are widespread throughout the country. Two published studies shed light on behaviors regarding food choices and...
FDA Accepts AFREZZA Resubmission and Sets Decision by Dec. 29, 2010
MannKind Corporation announced that it has submitted, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted, MannKind's resubmission of its New Drug Application (NDA) for AFREZZA™ (insulin human [rDNA origin]) and classified...
FDA Advisory Committee Votes to Keep Rosiglitazone on the Market
Thirty-three members of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cast 20 votes for various label options that would allow GlaxoSmithKline's rosiglitazone (Avandia) to stay on the market despite concerns over associated heart risks, while...
Pre-existing Conditions Covered by New High-Risk Insurance Pools
Let your patients with diabetes and no insurance know that, beginning July 1, individuals with pre-existing health conditions as diabetes are eligible to enroll in a temporary high-risk insurance pool, courtesy of the health care reform...
Diabetes Care Management Program Lowers Health Care Costs, Hospitalization Rates
Medicare patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease can significantly reduce both the cost of their medical care and rates of hospitalization by participating in a telephone-based diabetes disease management program, a new study...
FDA Reviews Olmesartan (Benicar) Safety Record, Cites CV Deaths in Trials
The FDA is conducting a safety review of the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) olmesartan (Benicar, Daiichi Sankyo) after determining that diabetic patients taking the drug in two completed phase 3 trials may have had an excess risk of...
Letter from the Editor: News from the ADA
Steve, Andrew and I are in Orlando at the ADA 70th Scientific Sessions and although things are just getting started there is already news in the diabetes sector. Lilly has agreed to co-brand their Humulin insulin line with Walmart,...
A Potentially Bad Summer for Patients
This could be a bad summer for patients if things stay as they are.
First off it appears that unless the Senate moves within the next day that Carriers for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will...
CMS Issues Guidance on Doughnut Hole Discount Program
Lindsey Harris, PharmD Candidate, University of Florida
The doughnut hole has been an issue for Medicare beneficiaries for many years. The costs of ...
Medicare Part D: A Boon for Industry and Insurers Alike
Issak Smith
IOM Recommends FDA Set New Standards for Salt in Foods
As widely expected, the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) is advising the FDA that it should set stricter federal standards for the amount of salt that food manufacturers, restaurants, and food-service companies can add to their...
FDA Approves Combined Diabetes Management System
The FDA approved Medtronic's MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time Revel System, a diabetes management system that combines an insulin pump with a glucose monitoring system. The system may represent the next step toward an artificial...
Liraglutide Has Low CVD Risk but May Be Blocked for Approval
Tumor data may block approval for diabetes drug liraglutide. An FDA advisory panel declined to recommend approval for the investigational diabetes drug liraglutide (Victoza), in light of
Issue 98 Item 7 The Diabetes Team Works, Saves $27,000 per Patient
The diabetes Teamwork In Action saves $27,000 in health care costs per patient
Issue 97 Item 5 Women with Diabetes are Poor and Less Educated
The report is based on a telephone survey of 110,000 women in the USA.
Issue 96 Item 3 Diabetes is a Disease Other People Get!
A new survey finds that most Americans believe diabetes is a major health problem -- for somebody else.
Issue 96 Item 8 Projection of Diabetes Through 2050
Dramatic Increase are Projected
Issue 95 Item 2 Lilly Offers $12 Flat Fee Per Prescription for Millions of Needy
This may not be the answer for those that use medications not made by Lilly
Don’t miss next weeks feature “DRUG COMPANIES AID LOW INCOME PATIENTS”
(Next week Diabetes In Control will announce a new program available that will allow you to get a 90...
Issue 95 Item 4 Diabetes TV Coverage Lags Way Behind
We need to do a better job of getting the word out! CBS is the best and CNN is the worst. Imagine only 2 stations reported the results of the DCCT study. There were as many stories on Rezulin as on the prevalence of diabetes.
Issue 91 Item 14 CuraGen, Bayer Research Alliance Agreed to Clinically Develop 1
The $1.4 billion obesity and diabetes research partnership launched by Bayer and CuraGen has begun to bear fruit, the companies said on Wednesday.
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