Reece's Piece's In a Diabetes World

As we all know, insulin costs are soaring and out of control. The cost of insulin has almost tripled in the last 15 years. Something has got to give here. In late November 2018, The Endocrine Society released recommended policy changes to help increase access to affordable (yes, affordable) insulin. Below are a few of the recommended changes and a link to the full list of recommended changes.

-Future list price increases should be limited, and reasonable financial incentives should be pursued by ALL stakeholders.

-Rebates should be passed along to consumers without increasing premiums or deductibles.

-Patient Assistance Programs should be less restrictive and have an accessible, common application that can be used for multiple programs.

https://www.endocrine.org/news-room/2018/supply-chain-transparency-needed-to-combat-soaring-insulin-costs

Thanks to the Endocrine Society for these recommendations.

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#insulin #supply #chain #transparency

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I will be highlighting insulin for my next couple of Daily Pieces as my heart aches and is heavy for those who have died from a lack of insulin. Fullerton published in Cochrane Database System Review a review of short-acting insulin analogues versus regular human insulin for adult, non-pregnant persons with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ten randomized controlled trials met the criteria. The authors’ conclusion, “our analysis found no clear benefits of short acting insulin analogues over regular insulin in people with type 2 diabetes. Overall, the certainty of evidence was poor and patient-relevant outcomes were sparse.” Bottom line: regular human insulin is a viable option especially when cost is an issue. The link to the review is below.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30556900

No person should die from a lack of insulin – Relion R insulin (available at Walmart for $25/vial) is an alternative to short acting insulin analogues and Relion NPH insulin (available at Walmart for $25/vial) is an alternative to basal insulin analogues especially if cost is an issue.

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#insulin #alternatives #human #analogue

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An interesting article came out a few days ago in Washington Post on factors to consider when pondering a switch to mail order pharmacy. As a pharmacist who prefers using a local independent pharmacy for my medications, I found the article interesting. I did appreciate that factor that they highlighted the individual wanting convenience and having chronic condition (i.e. high blood pressure, diabetes, hormonal therapy) (i.e. my daughter) might prefer mail order pharmacy as compared to individuals who have antibiotic prescription or prefer the personal touch of a local pharmacist (i.e. myself). One factor missing from the list is that if medication such as insulin sits in someone’s mailbox on a hot June day the insulin will be ineffective. Please click below to read the article.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/should-you-switch-to-a-mail-order-pharmacy-here-are-the-factors-to-consider/2019/01/07/8b56f87a-0ede-11e9-8938-5898adc28fa2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.787a80058302

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#factors #pharmacy #choice

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Tis the season of cold and flu. Being proactive to protect yourself from cold and flu is of the essence. The most basic step to take is to wash your hands with soap and water throughout the day especially after touching door knobs and handles. Cleaning your hands with alcohol is an alternative to hand washing although hand washing is the best. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep (ideally 6 – 8 hours), eating balanced healthy meals and being physically active are also great prevention steps.

For some protection against getting a cold, taking vitamin C 500 mg daily is fine although not proven protection. If you take more than 500 mg of vitamin C at a time, your body will simply eliminate it so more is not better.

Lastly, the flu vaccine is of particular importance. Now a flu shot is not a guaranteed protection against getting the flu. Rather it lessens the severity and duration of the flu – bottom line it is worth it. FluMist, the nasal version of the flu vaccine, has been approved for this flu season but it is not as effective injected (intramuscular) formulation of the vaccine. A commentary published recently in Pediatrics highlights this finding.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2019/01/03/peds.2018-3290

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#protection #against #cold #flu

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This is great news! Why you may ask? It is usually quite difficult to know the cost of medication for the patient when the provider enters it into the electronic health record (EHR). This leads to sticker price shock at the pharmacy. And no, it is certainly not the fault of the pharmacy or pharmacist. Please do not shoot the messenger.

One of the major health information technology companies, Cerner, has collaborated with CoverMyMeds to integrate prescription princes into the electronic health record so both providers and patients can know the cost of medication before is prescribed. Also, know the price allows for a more informed decision on all fronts. Genius!! Time saved and frustrations minimized. Please click on the link below to learn more about his exciting collaboration. Wishing you a great week!

https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/cerner-and-covermymeds-integrate-prescription-prices-and-patients-ability-pay-within-ehr

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#integration #medication #cost #collaboration 

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So you may we wondering…why am I writing a daily piece about diet and not medications? Well, when it comes to our health, our nutrition and eating habits is natural medicine for our bodies. Our eating habits matter. I was excited to see that the Meditterranean diet is chosen as the best diet for 2019 according to U.S. News and World Report. This eating plan does not cut out certain food groups or produce magical short term weight loss. Creating sustainable long term changes in our eating habits rather than following the most popular fad diet is vital. To learn more click below.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/907133

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan

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#mediterranean #eating #habits #2019 

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We have heard lots of news about sodium-glucose transporter type 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors over the last year or so. Canagliflozin being the first drug in this class has been highlighted in many of the studies. In one the two trials of the Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study (CANVAS) program, a 56% increased fracture risk with canagliflozin was seen. The question that this study left was whether the increased fracture risk was limited to patients in study with high baseline risk.

However, an interesting recent systematic review of clinical trial data found no association between canagliflozin and increased fracture risk. It is worth noting that these patients with Type 2 diabetes were relatively young in this review. To read more about this systematic review, please click on link below.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/907088

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#canagliflozin  #fracture  #risk  

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Metformin is usually the first prescribed medication for a person with Type 2 diabetes upon diagnosis. Usually an additional medication is added to the diabetes medication regimen. Several classes of diabetes medications are available for second line treatment (medications added on the initial medication regimen) of Type 2 diabetes. A number of factors such as cost, effect on weight, liver and kidney function, and etc impact the selection of the second line treatment. A major factor in determining preference of second line is the medication’s cardiovascular effect (or effect on the heart). A recent retrospective analysis found that use of insulin or sulfonylureas as second line treatment is associated with cardiovascular harm. To read more about this interesting anaylsis, click below.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/906898?src=soc_tw_share

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#cardiovascular  #harm  #insulin #sulfonylureas  

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So I have made a BIG decision this year. No more new year’s resolutions. That is right. No more new year’s resolution. Instead I am a making a few goals that are very specific (who, what, when, where, how) that stretch me a bit out of my comfort zone. Please share your goal(s) for 2019. Wishing each of you a great 2019!

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#goal  #new #year #2019 

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This is Mandy with Reece’s Pieces in a Diabetes World wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. If you are interested in learning more about the story of Christmas, please click below to read Luke 2:1-21.

https://www.bible.com

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#Christmas  #story  #hope  

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