I’m writing to share a bit of exciting news amid this busy week: On Monday, we were lucky enough to have a piece on diabetes published by the Huffington Post!

The piece focused on four major areas where we saw progress in 2016 … and where we need that progress to continue through 2017 and beyond. What follows is a brief summary of the four major areas of progress on which I focused – if you would like to see the piece in full, you can find it here! Thank you in advance for sharing if you find it valuable!

 

1. Amplifying the Patient Voice.  We saw increased attention to the patient experience this year. I am proud and grateful that diaTribe could play a role in several of these efforts, including an Outcomes #BeyondA1c public workshop at the FDA and a diaTribe.org letter to the FDA with 10,000 signatures in support of using Dexcom’s G5 continuous glucose monitor for insulin dosing (and the FDA’s subsequent approval!) We also saw successful sugar-sweetened beverage tax efforts in five cities including right here in San Francisco.

2. Innovative New Treatments. We saw strides in therapies to reduce complications and ease diabetes management in 2016. The FDA approved two new basal insulin/GLP-1 combination therapies, Soliqua and Xultophy, Eli Lilly/BI’s Jardiance was the first ever drug approved to reduce cardiovascular death and kidney disease for type 2 patients, and Novo Nordisk’s Victoza showed incredible results in reducing cardiovascular complication.

3.While therapies help patients in profound ways, science isn’t enough. Manufacturers are addressing pricing, systems, time with doctors, and stigma. Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi all took steps to address pricing concerns, and we hope to see similar changes continue across the field.

4.Technology Solutions Enhance Diabetes Management. Technology is transforming diabetes. In 2016, we saw FDA major approvals, including Medtronic's MiniMed 670G (what a big step for closed loop technology!), as well as Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre Pro, which gives clinicians powerful information to support patients. Digital platforms, such as Omada Health’s online program for individuals who are enrolled or eligible for Medicaid or are uninsured, extend critical health resources to underserved populations. Big technology companies like IBM, Verily, Fitbit, and Qualcomm advanced their diabetes partnerships as well.

 

As you can see, there was no shortage of major changes in diabetes in 2016, but SO much progress remains to be made in 2017 – what do you most want to see?

Onward!