In the News... Universal T1D screening studied, Dexcom new product, Afrezza prescribing guidelines update, and more!

It's In the News.. a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: UK looks at starting universal T1D screening, Dexcom's CEO mentions a new product, bariatric sugery vs GLP medications, FDA approves update to prescribing info for inhaled insulin, miscroplastic and diabetes link studied, and more!

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Episode transcription with links:

(Stacey Track)

Welcome! I’m your host Stacey Simms and this is an In The News episode.. where we bringing you the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now.

We are less than one month from our first MNO of 2026. Please join us in Silver Spring MD Feb 20 and 21. It’s going to be amazing. We’re going to Nashville next March 6-7 and we’re going to have a great event a Club 1921 we just added on Thursday March 5^th for health care providers and patient leaders. All the info is over at diabetes-connetionss.com events/

Okay.. our top story this week:

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All UK children could be offered screening for type 1 diabetes using a simple finger-prick blood test, say researchers who have been running a large study.

This is the ELSA study - Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes, a first of its kind UK study. They tested blood samples from 17,931 children aged 3-13 for autoantibodies, markers of type 1 diabetes that can appear years before symptoms.

Families of children found to have early-stage type 1 diabetes received tailored education and ongoing support to prepare for the eventual onset of type 1 diabetes symptoms and to ensure insulin therapy can begin promptly when needed, reducing the chances of needing emergency treatment. Those with one autoantibody also received ongoing support and monitoring.

 

Some families were also offered teplizumab, the first ever immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes, which can delay the need for insulin by around three years in people with early-stage type 1 diabetes.

The second phase has launched and will expand screening to all children in the UK aged 2-17 years, with a focus on younger children (2-3 years) and older teenagers (14-17 years). The research team aims to recruit 30,000 additional children across these new age groups.

ELSA 2 will assess how screening can be scaled across the NHS and evaluate its cost-effectiveness.

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2026/childhood-type-1-diabetes-screening-is-effective-and-could-prevent-thousands-of-emergency-diagnoses

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At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Dexcom CEO Jake Leach says they’re going to launch a new product outside the US. I’ll link up that interview,

The full quote: “When you look at the outside the U.S., there are a lot of structures that are tiered. Patients have access to different types of products, so we’ve got a new one that we want to introduce that will add flexibility there. It’s based on the G7 platform, just like Dexcom ONE+, but it has a unique experience that’s tailored for a subset of users that, today, don’t have access to Dexcom.”

Your guess is as good as mine, but sounds more like a pricing or ordering issue than a new bit of hardware or software. Dexcom will also bring Stelo to some international markets this year. And plans a new mobile app experience for the wearable biosensor meant for people who don’t dose insulin.

Leach also says G8 will be much smaller and with more capability. but is a few years away.

https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/dexcom-ceo-jake-leach-2026-roadmap-jpm/

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A new international consensus statement provides guidance for the use of diabetes technology during pregnancy for women with type 1 diabetes (T1D), type 2 diabetes (T2D), or gestational diabetes (GD).

 

Organized by the diaTribe Foundation, the document was based on evidence where available, as well as opinion from an international group of experts in endocrinology, diabetes technology, and obstetrics & gynecology, among others.

 

This is the first set of recommendations specifically addressing the use of diabetes technology in pregnancy – and we’ll link it up.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/new-consensus-statement-addresses-diabetes-tech-pregnancy-2026a100020d

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Bariatric surgery beats GLP-1s for type 2 diabetes across income levels. This study was published this month, looking at nearly 300 patients are 4 medical centers.

Success here is measured by lower blood glucose levels, higher weight loss (28% vs. 10%), less use of diabetes medications, remission of diabetes to the point of no longer needing to inject insulin, and reduced risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

 

 

Bariatric surgery was better than medical therapy across all social backgrounds, they found, and not just in areas of higher deprivation. The ancillary study was smaller, and some of the participants randomized in earlier stages crossed over from medical to surgical treatment, and the reverse. The authors acknowledged and accounted for these limitations, along with the rapid development of more powerful obesity drugs not fully captured in the study. This was a long term study – more than 12 years – and by the end of the study more people were choosing GLP1 medications.

One dividing line: If someone hopes to lose 100 pounds, that’s more likely with surgery than with medications.

 “Ultimately, we need large, long-term, well-designed studies to clarify the best strategy for a given patient.”

https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/19/diabetes-study-bariatric-surgery-better-than-glp-1s/

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Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have reported for the first time that a father’s exposure to microplastics (MPs) can lead to metabolic problems in his children, including diabetes.

This is a mouse study, but it looks at a previously unrecognized way in which environmental pollution may influence the health of future generations.

MPs are extremely small plastic fragments, measuring less than 5 millimeters, that form as consumer products and industrial materials break down. Metabolic disorders describe a group of conditions that include elevated blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess body fat, all of which raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

The team found that female offspring of male mice exposed to MPs were far more prone to metabolic disorders than offspring of unexposed fathers, even though all offspring received the same high fat diet.

 

 

The research team hopes the findings will guide future investigation into how MPs and even smaller nanoplastics affect human development.

 

https://scitechdaily.com/microplastics-can-rewire-sperm-triggering-diabetes-in-the-next-generation/

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The FDA has finalized four new recalls for certain lots of Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors due to ongoing safety concerns. We told you about this in November when Abbott says some of its continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors were providing incorrect low glucose warnings. Internal testing identified the issue—carbon building up in the sensors during the manufacturing process—and determined that approximately 3 million CGM sensors were affected. The sensors were distributed in the United States, Canada and several European countries. 

When Abbott shared that announcement, the FDA was still reviewing the situation. No recalls had yet been finalized. Now, however, the agency has announced four new Class I recalls.

 

https://cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/clinical/heart-health/fda-confirms-recalls-abbott-cgm-sensors-new-lawsuit-alleges-company-concealed-information

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Insulet brings back it’s U.S. Pod recycling program, now making it available to all U.S. customers.

The Pod recycling program, offered at no cost to customers, enables users to request a recycling kit online. This allows them to return their used Omnipods. Insulet then decontaminates the returned Pods before transporting them to a company specializing in recycling for electronics and medical products.

Insulet began recycling pilot programs in Mass and California and are rolling it out nationwide.

Insulet also has “Pod takeback” programs outside the U.S. in several international markets. These programs enable customers to request a takeback kit by contacting their local customer support team.

 

https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/insulet-expands-us-pod-recycling-program/

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Up next a new resource for a population at three times the risk for diabetes, but without a lot of access to health information. I

The first diabetes information website primarily in ASL has launched.

The site includes GIFs and videos on diabetes management and an ASL glossary of diabetes-related terms.

This is from University of Utah Health – Called Deaf Diabetes Can Together.

Deaf and hard of hearing people are at three times higher risk for diabetes, but access to health information in ASL is limited.

https://healthcare.utah.edu/newsroom/news/2026/01/first-diabetes-information-website-asl-launches

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Novo Nordisk ended all work on cell therapies, including a Type 1 diabetes program, in October – and now has found a buyer. Aspect has acquired rights to the assets and giving Novo an option to reengage for later-stage development and commercialization.

Novo is helping bankroll Aspect’s development of the assets, investing in the company and providing research funding. The arrangement gives Novo a chance to profit from the programs down the line. Novo is eligible for royalties and milestone payments on future product sales and, having handed the reins to Aspect for now, can expand its role in later-stage development and commercialization.

The integration will involve the transfer of capabilities and expertise from Novo sites in Denmark and the U.S. to Aspect’s Canadian operations.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/novo-nordisk-offloads-diabetes-assets-aspect-amid-cell-therapy-retreat

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Lucas Escobar has carved a role by proving that healthcare marketing can be culturally resonant, commercially powerful and deeply human. As director and head of U.S. consumer marketing at Insulet, he has redefined how the Omnipod tubeless insulin pump shows up in culture, transforming a medical device into a symbol of identity, inclusion and empowerment.

 

Under Escobar’s leadership, Insulet launched three breakthrough initiatives: Dyasonic: Sound of Strength, a Marvel comic collaboration introducing a superhero who uses Omnipod; The Pod Drop, which turned the sound of a pod change into a celebratory music track; and Omnipod Mango x Pantone, medtech’s first color partnership, honoring the vibrancy of the diabetes community. Each blended creativity with purpose while driving results, helping fuel Omnipod’s consistent double-digit growth and its position as the most prescribed insulin pump in the U.S.

 

Living with type 1 diabetes himself, Escobar brings lived experience to his work, using storytelling not just to sell, but to make people feel seen.

 

Click here to return to the 2026 MM+M 40 Under 40 homepage.

 

From the January 01, 2026 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media

https://www.mmm-online.com/40-under-40/40-under-40-lucas-escobar-insulet/

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FDA approves an update to the prescribing info for Afrezza inhaled insulin. This is a revision to the recommendations for the starting mealtime dosage when patients switch from shots or insulin pumps. This is aimed at healthcare providers - the updated labeling was supported by results from the INHALE-3 trial. The FDA is still considering approval of Afrezza for kids – a decision there expect by summer.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/01/26/3225442/29517/en/MannKind-Announces-FDA-Approval-of-Updated-Afrezza-Label-Providing-Starting-Dose-Guidance-when-Switching-from-Multiple-Daily-Injections-MDI-or-Insulin-Pump-Mealtime-Therapy.html

 

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UK researchers have developed a calculator to predict whether someone is at risk for type 1 diabetes. They’re hoping this helps in screening and in preventing DKA at diagnosis.

They used the TEDDY study to create this calculator, which right now is in beta form and only for kids and teens ages 8-18.

The current beta form of the calculator asks users to answer questions about four factors necessary to estimate a child’s risk of developing type 1 diabetes: age, family history, number of confirmed autoantibodies, and genetic risk score.

The calculator has been given regulatory approval as a diagnostic in the U.K., and he’s working with a company that’s hoping to bring it to the U.S. in the next few months in the form of a home genetic test kit.

https://www.healthcentral.com/news/type-1-diabetes/new-calculator-might-help-predict-type-1-diabetes-before-symptoms-appear