New Flu Treatment for People with Diabetes was published by Ginger Vieira for InsulinNation.com, 14 November 2019.  Xofluza is taken only once and in pill-form. It will be most effective at preventing the flu from fully developing if you take it within the first 48 hours of developing flu-like symptoms.

In addition to receiving your flu-shot, a new drug — Xofluza — has been approved by the FDA to treat patients in “high-risk” populations who get the flu. This drug could potentially save lives in this population who is most vulnerable to the side-effects of the flu.

One would hope some primary care providers might prescribe Xofluza for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes at the start of flu season so we could have it on hand for when it strikes. Since this drug is new, it may not be easily prescribed in a “preventative” situation but it’s worth discussing with your healthcare team before you actually need it.

Read more:  New Flu Treatment for People with Diabetes


With insulin prices skyrocketing and substantial shortages developing in poorer countries, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that it would begin testing and approving generic versions of the drug.

Agency officials said they hoped to drive down insulin prices by encouraging makers of generic drugs to enter the market, increasing competition. At the moment, the world’s insulin market is dominated by three companies — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi — and they have steadily pushed up prices for two decades.

“Four hundred million people are living with diabetes, the amount of insulin available is too low and the price is too high, so we really need to do something,” Emer Cooke, the W.H.O.’s head of regulation of medicines and health technologies, said as she announced the plan.

Read more: To Drive Down Insulin Prices, W.H.O. Will Certify Generic Versions


Mourning the loss of a great doctor is a heartfelt and sad story (by Elizabeth Snouffer of DiabetesVoice.org) about Dr. Andrew Jay Drexler, who passed away on Sunday, 10 November 2019.  If you ever what to know what the IDEAL endocrinologist looks like … Dr. Andy was IT!!!  Andy was the GOLD STANDARD of CARE of folks with diabetes … and an extraordinarily kind and brilliant human being.  What an immense loss!

He was among the most prominent practitioners of intensive insulin management, tight glycemic control during pregnancy, and insulin pump therapy. He was responsible for facilitating the transfer of more than thirty pancreas transplant patients with type 1 diabetes and end-stage renal disease in the New York area to centers in other parts of the country because  transplantation was not available in New York. In the mid-1990s, Andrew Drexler became involved with utilizing these new therapies for type 2 diabetes and teaching them to other physicians. He also was instrumental in the establishment of the Mt. Sinai Diabetes Center, among of the best comprehensive diabetes centers in the country.  Over the years, he helped hundreds of women with type 1 diabetes deliver healthy babies.  On the wall of his office in New York City, he had photos of all the moms along with the children he had helped deliver safely into the world.  I was one of those moms who was fortunate enough to have him as a doctor.

Andy’s practice and the care of his patients were his life. He answered calls any time of day or night and always gave the very best advice. One day when I was visiting him in Santa Monica, he was late for our appointment and apologized saying. “I’m so sorry, I’m helping a young homeless woman with type 1 who is pregnant, and this time we had to have a long talk.” He dedicated his life to people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and never gave up on anyone. Dr Drexler treated every person with respect and there are thousands of people with diabetes today who are grateful for his commitment, kindness and care.

A thought:  Bring this article with you to your next endo appointment and discuss how your endo can improve his practice.  I know I will try.

Read more:  Mourning the loss of a great doctor


WaveForm Technologies Inc Awarded CE Mark Approval for Their CGM System was written by Juleen Ginty for AgaMatrix.com,

WaveForm Technologies Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of AgaMatrix Holdings LLC and developer of novel continuous glucose monitoring products, today announced it has received CE Mark (Conformité Européenne) approval for its Cascade Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. Commercialization of the product for the European market is anticipated to begin in select countries.

The WaveForm Technologies Cascade CGM system is based on several pioneering, patented innovations in glucose sensor technology offering users a convenient way to view up-to-the-minute glucose readings on a smartphone. This innovative system continuously monitors glucose levels in interstitial fluid through a small, disposable sensor that can be worn on the body for up to 14 days. Together, the sensor and Bluetooth® transmitter accurately measure and transmit glucose data to the mobile app every minute, without the need for an additional receiver device.

    • both the sensor and transmitter are worn on the body in a compact form, about the size of a nickle
    • this CGM system employs a proprietary, enzyme-based electrochemical sensor which is virtually pain-free to insert and measures glucose levels via interstitial fluid below the skin
    • the sensor will transmit glucose data wirelessly through a small, rechargeable transmitter to a smartphone app – providing up to the minute feedback on glucose levels
    • preliminary studies to date show superior sensor “signal to noise” ratio and interference blocking, at a smaller diameter (approximately half the size of a leading competitor)
    • it has a rechargeable transmitter with warmup time of 1 hour or less
    • in Europe the sensor will be for 14-day wear, average one calibration per day; that longer wear-time is apparently being studied in clinical trials for the U.S., too
    • it’s inserted using a unique, needle-free applicator that WaveForm claims is “virtually painless” and can be reused (unlike the Dexcom G6 with its single-use, disposable inserter)
    • it offers wireless data transmission to a smartphone app every minute (with no receiver)

(According to a review by DiabetesMine, 16 January 2019, WaveForm clinical data from mid-2018 shows an 11.1%-12.1% accuracy rate — not as good as some of the competing CGM studies published over the years, but better than other CGM accuracy results reported in comparison to this WaveForm tech.)

Read more:  WaveForm Technologies Inc Awarded CE Mark Approval for Their CGM System


Eli Lilly, Boehringer hit FDA roadblock in quest to repurpose Jardiance for Type 1 diabetes was reported by Kyle Blankenship for FiercePharma.com, 14 November 2019. 

Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance has been on a tear recently with an FDA fast track in heart failure and a key trial win in kidney disease. But when it comes to treating Type 1 diabetes, the SGLT2 med didn’t pass muster in a key FDA panel vote.

An FDA advisory committee voted 14-2 Wednesday against recommending a 2.5 milligram dose of empagliflozin––Jardiance’s generic name––on top of insulin to reduce the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis in Type 1 diabetes patients.Although the committee’s vote isn’t the last say on Lilly and Boehringer’s Type 1 hopes, the FDA often follows its advisers’ recommendations. That’s a big knock for the drugmakers, with around 40,000 new patients diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes each year in the U.S., Boehringer said. 

Read more:  Pharma Eli Lilly, Boehringer hit FDA roadblock in quest to repurpose Jardiance for Type 1 diabetes


The diabetes patients who hacked a pancreas was written by Paul Heltzel, an original member of the closed loop hacking community, for Experience, ExpMag.com, 13 November 2019.  A great and true story about innovation and courage!

“I was by far the least tech-savvy person involved in the project. But I’m a diabetic, and I was determined to help — even if it meant learning to read long strings of code and zapping myself on a dog’s invisible fence. Trust me: it was worth it.”

When you use a DIY artificial pancreas, you’re an experimental study of one. The device isn’t approved by the FDA, so it can’t be gifted or sold. Each user has to build a system from scratch.

Read more:  The diabetes patients who hacked a pancreas

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