In the News... BIG beta cell transplant news, a new pump team-up, FDA moves on GLP-1 compounds, and more!
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
Release Date: 01/10/2025
The Fight to Save Levemir: Inside the Grassroots Push to Protect Insulin Choice
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
In 2024 Novo Nordisk announced it would discontinue Levimir insulin.. leaving many people scrambling and kind of stunned. There’s no other insulin on the market quite like this long-acting – and it turns out the community wasn’t letting it go without a fight. My guests are going to tell you more about why. I’m taking to Alison Smart, founder of Choice – her daughter lives with type 1 as well as two doctors: Florence Brown and Amy Valent. Dr. Brown is Co-Director Joslin and BIDMC Diabetes in Pregnancy Program, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Valent...
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BONUS Episode: TempraMed wants to pair smart insulin tracking with temperature protection
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
I’ve been talking to the folks at VIVI Cap for a few years now, it’s been fun watching their progress. I wanted to catch up and find out more about what they’ve been up to when it comes to insulin storage – especially as we get closer to the hot summer months. They launched new products in the last year – smart insulin storage that helps you track dosing and a new case with more cooling protection. My guest is Ron Nagar, the founder and CEO of TempraMed, the company that makes the VIVI Cap. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions,...
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In the News.. Stem Cell Research Update, New Patch Pump Approved, GLP-1 Resistance Studied, Big Win T1D School Kids and more!
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
It's In the News! Every other week we bring you the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now. This week's top stories: stem cell reserach updates, the Pivot patch pump gets FDA approval, GLP-1 Resistance research moves forward, T1D kids in VA get a big win, time of day for exercise matters, and much more! Don't miss our 2026 events - Announcing Community Commericals! Learn how to Learn more about Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show...
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Eversense 365: Pump Integration and Real-Life Use For the One-Year CGM
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
We've got an update on Eversense—the CGM that sits just below the skin and lasts a year. This is the first time we’re talking to the folks from Senseonics, the company that makes Eversense, since they spun off from Ascensia. What's changed? It’s also the first time, we’re talking to someone who uses Eversense with an insulin pump – it’s now compatible with the twiist pump. I ask your questions about all of this – how’s the pump integration in real life, when will the next iterations of Eversense be out, their success in the type 2 market and much more. We're talking to Chief...
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More Than Babysitting: The Power of Type One Together with Raquel Baron
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
Today on Diabetes Connections.. a bonus episode all about finding support and community online and in real life. Seems to be a theme lately and I could NOT be happier. Type One Together started with one college student, a few babysitting jobs, and a realization that there was a need. Type One Together has become something much bigger – they’ll still help you find a sitter but they’re also a hub for T1D info, support and gatherings. I’m talking to the founder, Raquel Baron, about how they got there, what kind of help they provide and what’s next. This podcast is not intended as...
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In the News... Insulin Act, weekly basal approved, weight loss pill okayed, gene therapy for T1D and more!
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
It's In the News, a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: Senate Insulin Act moves forward, FDA approveds Awiqli for type 2 and and second oral GLP-1 pill, lots of updates on stem cell and gene therapy for type 1, updates from Beta Bionics, veterans group and Dexcom team up, and Omnipod features on Scrubs. Much more in the episode! Announcing Community Commericals! Learn how to Learn more about Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! from extreme temperatures The best way...
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Grownup T1Ds: The Missing Support for Adults Living with Diabetes
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
There’s a reason we don’t call it juvenile diabetes anymore. We all know you grow up and T1D doesn’t go anywhere, and that you can be diagnosed at any age. But it often feels like adults are forgotten. I hope that’s not the case here—but I hear it all the time in the broader community. Kelly Dawes is working to change that. She’s started GrownUp T1Ds, a community built specifically for adults who’ve been living with type 1 for years and are finally finding connection, understanding, and support in a way they may never have had before. This podcast is not intended as medical...
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In the News... the "Next Ozempic" moves forward, diabetes and dementia link, tech updates & approvals, ATTD news and more
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
It's In the News, a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: Metformin may help stem macular degeneration, retatutride moves forward, T1D and demntia link studied, lots of news from ATTD and more! Announcing Community Commericals! Learn how to Learn more about Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Here's where to find us: Learn more about...
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Are We Finally Taking Mental Health Seriously in Diabetes Care?
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
We all know how important mental health is but unless you are VERY lucky, you’re on your own. There are the rare programs out there for pediatric endocrinology and we’ve got one of the best Dr. Taylor Stephens is a pediatric psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic who specializes in pediatric endocrinology conditions. She’s here to share what we can all do, right after diagnosis, and years later to support our kids and ourselves, if you're a caregiver or an adult living with type 1 This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact...
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BONUS Episode: Dexcom Updates From ATTD with Jessica Castle, VP of Medical Affairs
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
Bonus episode! I had the opportunity to talk to the folks at Dexcom about their presentations at ATTD and I wanted to bring you the interview sooner rather than later. ATTD is the Advanced Technology and Treatments for Diabetes conference, this year it took place in Barcelona. If you’re new around here, there are a few big diabetes conferences where studies are presented and news is made. ATTD in spring, ADA and ADCES in summer and a few more scattered here and there. We’ll be sharing more from ATTD in upcoming interviews with other tech companies. But today I’m talking to Jessica...
info_outlineIt's In the News.. a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: Sana announces beta cell transplantation without the need for immunosuppresion drugs, Modular Medical teams up with Nudge BG for a brand new completely closed-loop system, the FDA moves forward to crack down on compounded Ozempic and Mounjaro, Dexcom and Abbott bury the legal hatchett for a while, and more.
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Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures
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Episode transcription with links:
Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I’m Stacey Simms and every other Friday I bring you a short episode with the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now.
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Big news from Sana Biotechnology. Their first in human study of islet cells without any immunosuppression appears to be a success.
This is very early and hasn’t yet been peer reviewed and published.. but after four weeks, there were no safety issues and the transplanted beta cells were producing insulin.
Sana’s CEO says
“As far as we are aware, this is the first study showing survival of an allogeneic transplant with no immunosuppression or immune-protective device in a fully immune competent individual. Safe cell transplantation without immunosuppression has the potential to transform the treatment of type 1 diabetes and a number of other diseases.”
I’ve reached out to Sana to get more on this.. love to talk to them soon.
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FDA says no for sotagliflozin as an adjunct to insulin therapy for glycemic control in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Studies showed a meaningful reduction in A1C but a meaningful increase in DKA.
The FDA first rejected this in 2019 and was resubmitted last summer. But The advisory committee voted 11 to 3 against the approval of sotagliflozin stating that the benefits of sotagliflozin do not outweight the risks in adults with T1D and CKD.
Sotagliflozin is currently approved under the brand name Inpefa to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure, and urgent heart failure visit in adults with 1) heart failure; or 2) type 2 diabetes mellitus, CKD, and other cardiovascular risk factors. According to Lexicon, Inpefa will continue to be manufactured and made available to patients.
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Two companies we’ve been following are teaming up.. Modular Medical has an FDA clear patch pump and Nudge BG has an adaptive full closed loop. They’ve announced a new partnership agreement. From the release:
Modular Medical's easy-to-use and cost-effective MODD1 insulin pump technology. Our combined system is intended to nudge blood glucose by making small changes to insulin delivery based on estimated glucose inputs from a continuous glucose monitor."
Familiar name to some of you, Lane Desborough is the founder of Nudge BG. He says this will be a fully automated system, no mealtime bolusing needed.
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Beta Bionics filed for an initial public offering on Monday. The company did not disclose the number of shares it will offer or the price range. Beta Bionics plans for shares to be listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “BBNX.” The Irvine, California-based company makes an insulin pump called the iLet Bionic Pancreas, which was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration in 2023. Beta Bionics plans to use the proceeds to grow its sales and manufacturing infrastructure and develop new features for its device.
https://www.medtechdive.com/news/beta-bionics-insulin-pump-files-ipo/736805/
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Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. signed a multi-year collaboration agreement with the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology (UVA) to advance research and development efforts on fully automated closed-loop insulin delivery systems.
There’s a long history here – UVA is where the Control IQ algorithm was developed. This agreement seems to keep the team together for another decade.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250107162995/en/Tandem-Diabetes-Care-Enters-Multi-Year-Research-Collaboration-with-UVA-Center-for-Diabetes-Technology-for-Development-of-Advanced-Insulin-Delivery-Systems
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New study says insulin is still the best treatment for gestational diabetes, compared to oral glucose-lowering medications. Metformin and gluburide are being closely looked at since they're easier to administer, less costly, and have better acceptance among patients. But this study says insulin was a bit better – slight more babies were born larger for the metformin group, and more moms had hypoglycemia.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/pregnancy/113651
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In its Citizen Petition to the FDA, Novo Nordisk argued that there is no clinical need to allow compounding for liraglutide, the type 2 diabetes injection it sells as Victoza.
Novo Nordisk last month filed a Citizen Petition with the FDA asking the federal agency to exclude its type 2 diabetes injection Victoza (liraglutide) from a proposed list of drugs eligible for compounding.
https://www.biospace.com/fda/novo-launches-citizen-petition-to-block-compounded-victoza
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Bit of an update on compounded terzepatide and semaglutide. The FDA is allowing a grace period of 60 days before starting to enforce the end of allowing compounds of Mounjaro.
Meanwhile, semaglutide remains on the FDA’s shortage list for several dose strengths, though all doses have been reported as “available” since late October 2024.
Compounding pharmacies, especially larger 503B “outsourcing facilities,” maintain they provide an essential public service by offering lower-cost versions of medications that can cost over $1,000 per month. Many insurers still refuse to cover brand-name GLP-1 products for weight loss. Yet the FDA has reported hundreds of adverse event reports allegedly linked to compounded versions of these drugs, which do not undergo the same rigorous manufacturing inspections and clinical testing as approved brands.
https://www.drugdiscoverytrends.com/compounders-and-drugmakers-clash-over-compounded-weight-loss-drugs-with-fda-in-the-middle/
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Interesting story here.. this study says a fecal transplant can help people with type 1 and severe gastroenteropathy. The researchers say diabetic gastroenteropathy commonly affects individuals with type 1 diabetes, causing debilitating symptoms like nausea, vomiting, bloating, and diarrhea; however, treatment options remain limited.
Researchers conducted a novel clinical trial to test the benefits of FMT in adult patients with type 1 diabetes and severe symptoms of gastroenteropathy, who were randomly assigned to receive either FMT or placebo capsules as the first intervention.
After four weeks, Compared with placebo, FMT led to significant changes in the diversity of the gut microbiome.
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A couple of weeks ago, listeners told me that the Dexcom geofencing issue we reported on seems to be resolved. Dexcom is now confirming this. Previously, if you had an issue with Dexcom G7 outside of your home country, you couldn’t reinstall or use the app without customer support. As of last month, the geofencing issue has now been resolved with the latest Dexcom G7 2.6 app update.
Can I travel with my Dexcom G7? | Dexcom
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Abbott and Dexcom settled all patent lawsuits related to continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). The two competitors, who lead the U.S. market for CGMs, agreed on Dec. 20 to resolve all outstanding patent disputes and not sue each other over patents for 10 years.
Dexcom and Abbott previously reached a settlement in 2014 related to their diabetes devices, which included a cross-licensing deal and an agreement not to sue each other until 2021. After that agreement expired, the companies filed a volley of patent lawsuits.
https://www.medtechdive.com/news/abbott-dexcom-settle-cgm-patent-lawsuits/736300/