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Sanofi SA announced it would be cutting insulin products by as much as 78% in the U.S., following the lead of other major pharmaceutical companies which are lowering prices at the behest of the Biden administration. Sanofi said that it would cap a Lantus patient’s monthly out-of-pocket cost at just $35. “No one should struggle to pay for their insulin,†Olivier Bogillot, Sanofi’s head of U.S. general medicines, told The Wall Street Journal.
Drugs like Ozempic are in short supply for diabetics as physicians have found new “off-label†uses for the drug such as weight loss. Although the drug was not originally designed for the use of weight loss, this has become a very effective side effect and many weight loss clinics are aggressively pushing the off-label prescription drug. “The clock is ticking to preserve kidney and heath health, and the longer patients are without these therapies, the more risks they are accruing,†Katherine Tuttle, Executive Director for Research at Providence Medical Research, told the Wall Street Journal.
Despite numerous advances in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes over the past five decades, the disease has grown at an alarming rate. One in seven Americans have the disease, up from one in 20 in the 1970’s. Researchers have come to the sad conclusion that there is no drug powerful enough to counter the impact of poverty, pollution, stress, and a broken food system. “Our entire society is perfectly designed to create Type 2 Diabetes,†Dr. Dean Schillinger, a professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco, told The Wall Street Journal. “We have to disrupt that,†he said. He was part of a team of experts who gave Congress a road map of how to address the growing number of diabetics earlier this year, the first since 1975. Hopefully, Congress will act on the report which was issued in January.
A wearable device that automatically regulates blood-sugar levels was found to help Type 1 diabetics better manager their condition, according to a new study which was reported in the Wall Street Journal September 29 (Page A3). The wearable “iLet bionic pancreas†made by Beta Bionics helped people reduce their average blood-sugar levels more effectively than other treatment methods, according to a study which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Although the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve the iLet for distribution in the U.S., the agency in 2019 granted it breakthrough-device designation to speed up the review process. The FDA has already cleared other automated insulin-delivery systems so the outlook for receiving approval looks good.
Getting a diabetes diagnosis can be very frightening, but with the right healthy living changes, you can still lead a normal life. Read this AARP Article, which explains their seven recommendations for dealing with the disease including:
Losing weight
Watering down blood sugar
Exercise snacking
Muscling up with protein
Get vaccinated against COVID-19
Don’t focus on sugar
Let the meds come as needed.
https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2021/tips-for-managing-diabetes.html
The cost of prescription drugs has gotten so out of hand that regulators and legislators are having to step in and try to remedy the situation. The latest effort comes from the House of Representatives, which recently passed a bill which would cap the cost of insulin. The bill, which passed by a vote of 232-193 would cap the cost of insulin for both those on Medicare and those with private insurance at just $35 per month. A similar bill passed the House last year but died in the Senate. Democratic legislators are hoping to work out a compromise with Republicans to get it passed in the Senate.
Nearly one in seven Americans now have diabetes, a new record for the U.S. It was a serious disease before COVID-19 and even more so now as symptoms could be more severe and the risk of death higher for those diabetics contracting the coronavirus. Obesity in America has become a growing problem in recent years, as more of us develop a diet high in processed foods, which can be high in sugar and salt. The popularity of fast food hasn’t helped either. New guidelines have been issued by an expert task force (The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force) that were published in the journal JAMA suggesting that obese Americans and those with abnormally high blood sugar levels ought to be tested for diabetes starting at the young age of just 35. That means that 40% of the adult population ought to be screened.
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, CHOMP, has a number of helpful classes, with one focusing on how to exercise to keep your Diabetes under control. Learn how exercise can aid in diabetes management and get tips for safe, effective exercise. The information you receive will include an overview of diabetes and special considerations for exercise for those with diabetes. To register, go to www.chomp.org/classes.
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, CHOMP, has a number of helpful classes, with one focusing on how to exercise to keep your Diabetes under control. Learn how exercise can aid in diabetes management and get tips for safe, effective exercise. The information you receive will include an overview of diabetes and special considerations for exercise for those with diabetes. To register, go to www.chomp.org/classes.