Current use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was associated with a 23.3% risk of 30-day stroke mortality among diabetes patients hospitalized for stroke, compared with a 15.8% risk among those who didn't take the drugs.

Do you feel comfortable recommending an SGLT-2 Inhibitor drug to your patients? Follow the link to share your opinion and see what others think!

Using a continuous glucose monitor helps those with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes to self-regulate their exercise.

Mr. Fontello is an overweight, Caucasian 63-year old patient who comes in for a 6-month check-up. He has a 12-year history of type 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed at age 33 with high blood pressure, but had never really done much about it as it was “too much of a hassle” and he felt “just fine.” At the time his diabetes was diagnosed, he was referred to a diabetes education program and was started on metformin, lovastatin, losartan and aspirin. He has an individualized A1C goal of 7%. Four years after diagnosis, pioglitazone was added to Mr. Fontello’s diabetes regimen. Three years ago, he came in for an appointment complaining of polyuria, polydipsia and fatigue with an office A1C of 9.3%. At that time he was started nightly basal insulin detemir. Since that time, he has made concerted efforts to eat a healthy diet and get to the gym. Today, he reports his SBGM fasting plasma glucose levels are on target (FPG below 130mg/dL). He also states that his feet always feel a little bit swollen. BP 128/78, HR 73, RR 19. Physical exam is remarkable for peripheral edema and mildly decreased pedal pulses. Current medications: metformin, pioglitazone, insulin detemir, lovastatin, losartan, aspirin. At today’s visit, his office A1C is 8.1%. What changes would you recommend for his antihyperglycemic regimen? Select one answer: [A] Add a premixed insulin to all three meals of the day [B] Increase his detemir dose [C] Add a sulfonylurea to his regimen [D] Add a rapid-acting insulin analogue to his largest meal of the day Are you right? Follow the link to find out!

When starting a patient on insulin, there’s more than just teaching how to give an injection and check glucose levels. Teach insulin’s action and side effects, especially the possibility of hypoglycemia, what it is, how to prevent, recognize and treat it.

In last week’s newsletter, we were discussing the melding of drugs and medical technology together to improve patient outcomes. This will be the wave of the future  as more Pharma companies enter into pay-for-performance contracts with insurers and better outcomes will be the only way they can be paid. This …

In part 5 of this Exclusive Interview, Eran Bashan explains how d-Nav works in conjunction with a doctor's prescription and a patient's insulin adjustment, and working with Blue Cross to reach providers.

In this week's Homerun Slides, changing the current classification of diabetes to reflect the beta-cell-centric approach.

The unique property of the pancreatic beta cell is its ability to secrete insulin to enable circulating glucose levels to be maintained within a narrow physiologic range, despite wide fluctuations in energy intake and expenditure.

This week, the FiercePharma website had a great article on pay-for-performance arrangements. Although these aren’t commonplace now, about 14% of U.S. payers have at least one pay-for-performance pricing arrangement, up from 10% in 2014, according to a new specialty reimbursement report from EMD Serono. Another 30% of plans say they’ll …