New Insulin, Quicker Healing, Bee Endos

Lilly vs. Sanofi: European Edition

Lilly has won a victory in its quest to bring to market a biosimilar version of Lantus, Sanofi’s popular long-acting insulin. European medical regulators have greenlighted Lilly’s long-acting insulin for sale in the EU, according to Fierce Biotech. Meanwhile, the same product is being blocked in court by Sanofi from hitting the US until there is a ruling on whether Lilly infringed on the copyright of Lantus with its product.

Bridging the Pediatric Gap

Every year, parents of children with Type 1 diabetes worry when their offspring go off to college, and there’s good reason for it. Studies show that young adulthood is a time when many people with Type 1 fall off the wagon of their diabetes care. Now scientists are trying to determine why this happens.

A new study from researchers at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences suggests that many young adults with chronic conditions feel uncomfortable with the transition from pediatric care to “adult” medical care. In a survey of 312 young adults with chronic conditions, 20% said they felt dissatisfied with the transfer, and 25% were no longer in any kind of specialized care, according to a Reuters report. Young adults who were dissatisfied responded that they found adult care doctors were less friendly and accessible, and provided less guidance than their pediatric doctors. Researchers suggest a good way to smooth the transition would be to have a young adult’s pediatric and adult care doctors meet with the individual and his/her family at the start of the transfer process.

Speeding up the Healing Process?

A team of researchers have been able to isolate and identify a class of chemical molecules that may be able to accelerate wound healing in people with diabetes. The molecules, Maresin-Ls, can repair white blood cells damaged by Type 1 diabetes, and these white blood cells can then get back to work repairing wounds. Researcher Dr. Song Hong of Louisiana State University Health New Orleans says this discovery could very well lead to novel treatments for diabetes wound care, according to Healio Business News.

Big “Buzzzzz” on Diabetes Detection

This may sound like a joke, but bees are being trained to detect undiagnosed diabetes (please take a moment to picture fat, little bumblebees wearing lab coats and stethoscopes). A pair of researchers have figured out a way to get bees to stick out their tongues when they detect acetone in the breath, a sign of high blood sugar, according to a report in the “Commonhealth” blog of WBUR. The bees are fitted with small harnesses and put into a portable box with a straw; individuals breathe into the straw to see if they have the condition. Researchers hope this strategy, which is currently 70% accurate, can soon be utilized to uncover diabetes in people living in countries with poor primary care infrastructure…and great bee supplies.

Thanks for reading this Insulin Nation article. Want more Type 1 news? Subscribe here.

Have Type 2 diabetes or know someone who does? Try Type 2 Nation, our sister publication.