Content about Diabetes management

SAN FRANCISCO — MySugr Companion, one of Europe's leading and award-winning diabetes apps for iPhone, is now available for download in the U.S. App Store, the app developer announced Thursday.

Consumer technology has shown a new trend of monitoring fitness and well-being data in products like the Nike+ and Fitbit. "But Type 1 diabetics are the true champions of the quantified self-movement," commented mySugr advisory board member Tim Ferriss. 

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Johnson & Johnson for treating Type 2 diabetes, the agency said.

The FDA announced the approval of J&J subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals' Invokana (canagliflozin) tablets, designed for use with diet and exercise to improve blood-sugar control in adults with the disease.

NEW YORK — Control of A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol among patients with diabetes has improved markedly, but more room for improvement remains, according to a new study.

CLEVELAND — People with diabetes in Cleveland enrolled in UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored health plans can obtain free diabetes management services from Rite Aid, the retail pharmacy chain said Friday.

The chain's pharmacists are participating in the Diabetes Control Program, part of UnitedHealth Group's Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance, which is aimed at addressing the problem of Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

ST. LOUIS — People with diabetes often develop clogged arteries that cause heart disease, and new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that low vitamin D levels are to blame. In a study published Nov. 9 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the researchers reported that blood vessels are less like to clog in people with diabetes who get adequate vitamin D. But in patients with insufficient vitamin D, immune cells bind to blood vessels near the heart, then trap cholesterol to block those blood vessels.

Improving medication adherence in specialty pharmacy could be equivalent to introducing a new blockbuster drug. That’s how Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy president and CEO Phil Hagerman put it at Drug Store News’ Specialty Pharmacy Roundtable two years ago. 


CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid pharmacists on Long Island in New York state are participating in a diabetes initiative run by health insurer UnitedHealth Group, the two companies said Thursday.

The pharmacists are part of the Diabetes Control Program, itself part of UnitedHealth's Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance. The program is available to residents of the island enrolled in UnitedHealthcare's employer-sponsored health plans.

INDIANPOLIS — Lilly Diabetes announced that it has launched a new mobile application designed for caregivers and healthcare providers who support people with Type 1 diabetes.

The Lilly Glucagon mobile app is an interactive tool designed to teach caregivers how to use severe hypoglycemia treatment Glucagon (1-mg) for injection through simulated practice, thus helping caregivers better understand Glucagon's role in diabetes management. The Lilly Glucagon mobile app includes:

• Information about severe hypoglycemia and Glucagon;

NEW YORK — Extended use of the oral DPP-4 inhibitor linagliptin to lower blood-glucose levels by Type 2 diabetes patients is effective, according to a new study.

A team of eight researchers — four of which work for drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim — examined 2,121 Type 2 diabetes patients that had taken part in four previous 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in order to monitor them for a further 78 weeks. The participants who took part in the extended trial came from 231 sites in 32 countries.

The life of a patient with diabetes is a juggling act to maintain good glycemic control — from daily blood-glucose testing to eating healthy and staying active. This is a complex and sometimes inconvenient task requiring significant commitment. Today, the American Diabetes Association estimates 60 percent of diabetes patients do not adhere to their treatment regimen.

PHILADELPHIA — An integrated wellness team approach to diabetes care can help patients not only improve their condition, but also lower their prescription costs, according to new research presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' 21st annual Scientific and Clinical Congress in Philadelphia.