Diabetes News: More stories from Libre Life in October 2023
New NHS T1 Guidance Document
Final Guidelines for the rollout of hybrid closed loops in the NHS are expected to be published by the end of October and in advance Partha Kar (Diabetes co-lead NHS England) has given ‘X’ followers a preview of a documentation to be released.
The cover appears to give T1Ds lots of useful information to support their personal choices around type 1 management including medtech.
Find out more by following on X/Twitter @parthakar.
“As close to a cure for diabetes as science can get”
In advance of NICE Guidance for Hybrid Closed Loops to be available through the NHS, this article was published in the Daily Mail.
Many of the comments referred to the fact that this isn’t new medtech and isn’t a ‘cure’ although others were hopeful that hybrid closed loops could mean less daily decisions and improved quality of sleep.
Aberdeen recognises John JR Macleod’s role in insulin discovery
A new memorial to the physiologist and co-discoverer of insulin, John JR Macleod, has opened at Duthie Park in Aberdeen.
Macleod’s contribution is not well-known but it’s hoped that this will change with an area of the park redefined as ‘Macleod’s Corner’ and ‘Insulin Way’ showing visitors to the site in his honour.
The memorial is is also Scotland’s first and only ‘Storytelling Statue’, where visitors can scan a QR code to hear the story of Macleod’s life.
Read more about this news here.
Drinking dark tea may help control glucose levels
Researchers in Australia and China have found that daily tea drinkers are 28 percent less likely to have diabetes than participants who didn’t drink tea at all. Dark tea where the leaves are fermented after being heated and shaped, was found to be particularly beneficial as it appeared to reduce insulin resistance.
The research was announced at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Conference held in Hamburg this month.
Read more about this news here.
ELSA Study reaches Northern Ireland
Children in Northern Ireland are now eligible for the ELSA Study making it accessible across the UK.
The Study is a type 1 diabetes screening programme for children aged 3–13 years with the aim of identifying early those at high risk of developing the condition.
So far over 10,000 children have taken part in the Study.
Click here for more information.
FDA clear Omnipod’s iPhone App
Omnipod 5 is soon to form part of a hybrid closed-loop system available to those with type 1 diabetes in the US after its iPhone app was cleared by the FDA.
Insulet confirmed the app will be rolled out with the Dexcom G6 CGM from 2024. It’s already available on Android, but the news means that the Omnipod 5 will be the only tubeless automated insulin delivery (AID) system with full control from a compatible smartphone — for now.
Omnipod 5 was launched in the UK in June 2023 and it’s hoped it will be included as an option for hybrid closed looping when the NHS Guidelines are published at the end of October.
Weekly insulin for type 2s
A report published this month in The Lancet suggests that persons with T2 diabetes could be given a basal insulin just once a week, reducing the number of injections per year from 365 to 52.
A clinical trial of icodec insulin was carried out comparing its use in type 2s who had HbA1c levels of between 7.0% and 9.5%, with once daily insulin. The trial took place over 26 weeks and involved 247 type 2s. It concluded that isodec could achieve the same results as daily insulin without increasing the likelihood of hypos.
Click link here to read about the trial in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Mounjaro Guidelines published by NICE
The National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE) have published their Guidelines for the use of Mounjaro (also referred to as Tirzepatide) for type 2 diabetes treatment.
Mounjaro is now recommended for treating type 2 diabetes alongside diet and exercise in adults when it is insufficiently controlled in certain circumstances. The NHS have 3 months now to make this available to be prescribed.
See the Guidelines here.
In related news, it’s reported that Eli Lilly (manufacturer of Mounjaro) are planning a clinical trial of this drug with patients as young as six years old who have obesity.
AI can diagnose diabetes from voice
A new health start-up, Klick Labs, has developed an AI model to diagnose type 2 diabetes from listening to a person’s voice.
The AI analyses recordings of a person’s voice from recordings taken over 2 weeks, carried out 6 times a day. It looks for changes in pitch that cannot be perceived by the human ear which are attributable to having type 2 diabetes.
The success rates is stated as 89% accuracy for women and 86% for men. Click here to read more.
Thanks for reading. You can find out more about our Libre Life resources for diabetes management here: www.lovemylibre.com
