The cost of insulin continues to rise dramatically and steadily, especially in the past few years.

The American Diabetes Association just published the 2017 Standards of Care! Section 8 Reviews the average wholesale price per 1000 units of insulin as listed in the chart below.  Thank you ADA for sharing this incredibly useful and powerful information with the diabetes community.

There has been a lot of action at the FDA this year.  Several novel insulin combination medications were approved as well as the first “bio-similar” insulin, Basaglar.
We have kept our Diabetes Pocket Cards Up-to-Date on the CDCES Coach App and on our PocketCard Download Page.

New Insulin / GLP-1 Combo Pens

The FDA released the final dosing strategies and guidelines for IDegLira and iGlarLixi. These pen devices will be expensive for those without insurance coverage.

They offer users a unique opportunity to inject a once-a-day combination of basal insulin plus a GLP-1 Combination which has been show to effectively lower A1c in Type 2 Diabetes with less weight gain and hypoglycemia than with insulin alone.

? Download Free Insulin and Injectables PocketCard 
 

Insulin Updates

Basaglar has launched. This “copycat” basal insulin has the same amino acid sequence as Lantus. The list price, $316.85 for a pack of 5 pens is a 15% discount to Lantus and Toujeo, a 21% discount to Levemir, and a 28% discount to Tresiba.

Oral Medication Updates

Jardiance (empagliflozin) decreases CV Mortality by 38%. The (FDA) has approved empagliflozin (Jardiance),for the new indication of improving survival in adults with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Important info to share!

Actos (pioglitazone) a new study seems to confirm that Actos may pose an increased risk for bladder cancer. A study published in BMJ earlier this year reported a 63% higher risk for bladder cancer with Actos.  Patients on Actos should report andy signs of bladder cancer (such as blood in the urine) and avoid if they have had a history of bladder cancer.

Synjardy XR – A new once-a-day combo medication was recently approved. Synjardy XR (empagliflozin and metformin XR). This medication reduces blood glucose and decreases risk of CV death without weight gain or hypoglycemia.

? Download Free Oral MedsPocketCard to see details