T1D School Care, Lantus Woes, Texting Treatment

Better School Diabetes Care

Thanks to a new law, Ohio children with diabetes will have a better chance to receive diabetes care in school. According to a report in Canton Rep, lawmakers in that state passed a bill that allows non-medical school staff to treat a child with diabetes if a school nurse is unavailable. Under the provisions of the law, staff can volunteer to be trained to treat children with diabetes, but school districts are not mandated to have a diabetes care plan in place or have a staff member trained.

You’re Probably Still Producing Insulin

A study published in Diabetes Care provides more evidence that many people with Type 1 diabetes are still producing a significant amount of insulin, long after becoming dependent on insulin therapy. Researchers found that 46% of individuals who developed Type 1 in childhood and 78% of those who developed Type 1 diabetes as adults had detectable insulin production, according to Smart Brief. As discussed in Insulin Nation, researchers believe that such findings point to the need to modify honeymoon period treatments to use on those who have long had Type 1 diabetes.

The Sanofi Bloodbath Continues

There are more signs that it will not be business as usual for the makers of Lantus in 2015. Shortly after former Sanofi CEO Chris Viehbacher was shown the door, Sanofi axed its vice president of sales, Bob Rossilli, according to an article in FiercePharma. The upheaval comes with projections that Lantus sales will flatline because of predicted increased competition in the basal insulin marketplace, as well as demands for lower drug prices from health insurance payors.

Get Your Flu Shot

A meta-analysis of children and the flu confirmed what every diabetes parent already knows: children with Type 1 diabetes are more at risk for flu-related complications than the general population. According to a report in HealthDay, researchers reviewed 27 studies involving 14,000 children and confirmed the need for guidelines that say that children with diabetes should be given priority for receiving flu shots.

Texting for Better Blood Glucose Levels

The teenage years can be a difficult time for managing Type 1 diabetes, as adolescents assert independence at a time when they may not have yet mastered self-diabetes care. A new study may suggest that texting may provide an effective bridge to help teens take control of their diabetes. Researchers with the Children’s National Health System conducted a pilot program that required teens to respond to text messages related to their daily care. The texts provided nutritional tips and reminded 23 teens to check their blood sugar levels. More than half of the teens completed the six-week program, and teens responded to texts within one to two hours, according to a Fierce Mobile Healthcare report.

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