Category Archives: Diabetes

Diabetes Psychosocial Care Addressed by ADA in First Published Recommendations Endocrinology Advisor The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has released a position statement focused on aspects of psychosocial care in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, published in Diabetes Care.1 Based on current diabetes research and recommendations from mental and ...

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Diabetes Psychosocial Care Addressed by ADA in First Published Recommendations - Endocrinology Advisor

Older adults are at a higher risk for diabetes and pre-diabetes than younger Americans. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one in every four Americans over the age of 60 has diabetes, and with age comes greater risks for complications.

Diabetes can lead to heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney disease, amputations and even death.

However, studies show it is never too late to make changes to improve a persons health. Motivated adults ready to make lifestyle changes can slow the progression of diabetes and avoid or delay complications.

To help adults who want to get better control of their diabetes, Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, the Medicare quality innovative network-quality improvement organization (QIN-QIO) for Montana, Montana State University Teton County Extension and the Montana Geriatric Education Center are partnering together to offer a series of six, free diabetes classes.

These classes provide fun, informative and interactive ways to help people with diabetes or pre-diabetes (high blood sugar).

Understand diabetes and how it affects the entire body;

Manage diabetes in a way that makes sense for them and their individual health goals;

Become more informed members of their health care teams, as they continue to work with their doctors, diabetes educators and other health care providers to improve their health.

The classes support, not replace, professional self-management diabetes education. While the classes are designed for people with Medicare, anyone with diabetes or pre-diabetes is welcome to attend.

The series kicks off March 7, from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Alice Gleason room at the Choteau/Teton Public Library at 17 Main Ave. N. Classes will then meet every Tuesday through April 18, excluding March 21. Anyone interested in attending these classes can register by calling 466-2492 or emailing to teton@montana.edu.

See the original post here:
Diabetes series begins on March 7 - Choteau Acantha

People with diabetes are at high risk of developing heart disease. Despite knowing this, scientists have struggled to trace the specific biology behind that risk or find ways to intervene. Now, UNC School of Medicine researchers have hunted down a possible culprit -- a protein called IRS-1, which is crucial for the smooth muscle cells that make up veins and arteries.

According to a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, too little of IRS-1 causes cells to revert to a "dedifferentiated" or stem-cell like state, and this may contribute to the buildup of plaque in the heart's arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis, which increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other forms of heart disease.

"When diabetes is poorly managed, your blood sugar goes up and the amount of this protein goes down, so the cells become subject to abnormal proliferation," said senior author David R. Clemmons, MD, Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine. "We need to conduct more studies, but we think this cell pathway may have significant implications for how high blood glucose leads to atherosclerosis in humans."

The research could bring scientists one step closer to finding drugs to help stave off heart disease in people with diabetes, who are twice as likely to have heart disease or experience a stroke, as compared to people without diabetes. People with diabetes also tend to experience major cardiac events at a younger age.

The study focused on the cells that form the walls of veins and arteries, known as vascular smooth muscle cells. The main function of these cells is to contract whenever the heart beats, helping to push oxygen-rich blood to the body's tissues. When plaque builds up along the arterial walls, these cells gradually lose their ability to contract.

In their previous work, Clemmons and colleagues discovered that diabetes can trigger an abnormal cell signaling pathway that causes vascular smooth muscle cells to proliferate, which contributes to atherosclerosis. But their attempts to correct the abnormal signaling pathway didn't seem to completely solve the problem, leading them to suspect another factor.

In the new study, the team found that IRS-1 acts as an inhibitor of the abnormal signaling pathway thereby keeping the vascular smooth muscle cells differentiated, or specialized. In the absence of IRS-1, the cells revert to a stem-cell like state, which in turn activates the abnormal signaling pathway and promotes cell proliferation.

In people with diabetes, the presence of IRS-1 is strongly influenced by how well -- or how poorly -- blood sugar is kept in check. Previous studies have shown that patients who frequently or consistently have high blood sugar show dramatic reductions in IRS-1. The new study is the first to link this reduction with a predisposition for heart disease.

"The study suggests that you can't just inhibit the abnormal signaling, which we've already figured out how to do," Clemmons said. "Our work suggests you probably have to restore the normal signaling pathway, at least to some extent, in order to completely restore the cells to normal cell health, differentiation, and functioning."

As a next step, the Clemmons lab will look for things that might stimulate the synthesis of this protein even in the presence of high blood glucose.

To prove that IRS-1 acts as a brake on the abnormal signaling pathway that leads to cell proliferation, the team conducted experiments in three different types of mice: healthy mice, diabetic mice, and nondiabetic mice that were genetically engineered to produce no IRS-1. The scientists made a small incision in the blood vessels of the animals and then watched to see how the vascular smooth muscle cells reacted. In healthy mice, the incision stimulated wound healing but little cellular proliferation. In both the diabetic animals and the nondiabetic IRS-1 deficient animals, the researchers observed a marked increase in abnormal cellular proliferation.

The findings suggest that it may be possible to counteract the deleterious effects of high blood sugar on atherosclerosis by developing drugs that boost IRS-1.

Clemmons said the activities of IRS-1 might also play a role in other diabetes complications, such as eye and kidney disease. The researchers plan to study those potential links.

Here is the original post:
Researchers implicate suspect in heart disease linked to diabetes ... - Science Daily

Older adults are at a higher risk for diabetes and pre-diabetes than younger Americans. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one in every four Americans over the age of 60 has diabetes, and with age comes greater risks for complications. Diabetes can lead to heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney disease, amputations and even death.

However, studies show it is never too late to make changes to improve a persons health. Motivated adults ready to make lifestyle changes can slow the progression of diabetes and avoid or delay complications.

To help adults who want to get better control of their diabetes, Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, the Medicare quality innovative network-quality improvement organization (QIN-QIO) for Montana, Montana State University Teton County Extension and the Montana Geriatric Education Center are partnering together to offer a series of six, free diabetes classes. These classes provide fun, informative and interactive ways to help people with diabetes or pre-diabetes (high blood sugar)

understand diabetes and how it affects the entire body;

manage diabetes in a way that makes sense for them and their individual health goals;

become more informed members of their health care teams, as they continue to work with their doctors, diabetes educators and other health care providers to improve their health.

The classes support, not replace, professional self-management diabetes education. While the classes are designed for people with Medicare, anyone with diabetes or pre-diabetes is welcome to attend.

The series kicks off Tuesday, March 7, from 6:45 to 7:45 PM, in the Alice Gleason Room at the Choteau/Teton Public Library at 17 Main Ave. N. Classes then meet every Tuesday through April 18, excluding Tuesday, March 21. Anyone interested in attending these classes can register by calling (406) 466-2492 or emailing teton@montana.edu

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Live Healthy with Diabetes: Free Diabetes Classes - Fairfield Sun Times

Makayla Mattei, 15, went missing from her Virginia home on Friday morning. Her mom is worried that a stranger online lured her daughter to Georgia. Makayla is diabetic.

Ellison Barber and 11Alive , WUSA 12:54 PM. EST February 21, 2017

DUMFRIES, VA (WUSA9) - The family of a missing 15-year-old is afraid their daughter is with a stranger she met on the internet.They are originally from Atlanta and the mom said it is possible the teen may try to make her way toward Georgia.

"We haven't seen her. We haven't heard from her," said Chermene Shaw. "It feels like someone just ripped my heart out of my chest and there's a hole."

Shaws daughter, Makayla "Kayla" Phyllis Mattei, was last seen on Friday morning when she left to attend school at Forest Park High School in Dumfires, Virginia. Shaw says Makayla did not show up for school and hasn't been seen or heard from since.

This is the first time Makayla has ever left home, Shaw told WUSA9, and she's afraid the teen did it because of someone she met on the internet.

A few months ago, Shaw said she noticed her daughter talking to someone through social media.

"We believe she was talking to someone that she believed to be her age We think that this may be an adult, Shaw explained. "They don't live around here. They don't go to school anywhere."

Makayla has diabetes and needs insulin injections. Shaw said when her daughter left home she had medication with her, but she might not use it properly and she does not have a phone.

The mom took her phone away when she noticed her daughter talking to the stranger, and she had started to look through it.

"I had already taken it from her to look into. Even to hand off to the police initially, because my concern already was that there was possibly an adult trying to maybe even lure my child. It seemed so farfetched at the time, she said.

"You know your great fear, you think is to not have your child near to you but to not have them near to you and have them near to someone that possibly means them harm - I feel paralyzed."

Shaw says she and her family have spent days handing out missing flyers to as many people as they can.

"I want Makayla to know that we love her. Everyone is looking for her. Your family. We miss you, Shaw said. "We just want you to come home. If anyone has my daughter - we will find you. I will never stop looking until I get my baby back."

Makaylawas last seen wearing jeans, a pink hoodie, and carrying a dark book bag with the words Georgia State University on the front pocket.

Shaw said the family moved to Dumfries about a year ago. They are originally from Atlanta and Shaw said it is possible Makayla may try to make her way toward Georgia.

If you have any information about Makayla's whereabouts, please contact the Dumfries Police Department at (703)-792-6500.

( 2017 WUSA)

Link:
Missing teen with diabetes believed to be headed to Georgia - 11alive.com

February 21, 2017 by Mark Derewicz Top Row: Heart arteries in normal mice, diabetic mice, and normal mice with deleted IRS-1 gene. Bottom row: when artery is wounded, diabetic mice with less IRS-1 and normal mice with deleted IRS-1 gene show much greater blockage due to over-proliferation of smooth muscle cells. Credit: Clemmons Lab, UNC School of Medicine

People with diabetes are at high risk of developing heart disease. Despite knowing this, scientists have struggled to trace the specific biology behind that risk or find ways to intervene. Now, UNC School of Medicine researchers have hunted down a possible culprit - a protein called IRS-1, which is crucial for the smooth muscle cells that make up veins and arteries.

According to a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, too little of IRS-1 causes cells to revert to a "dedifferentiated" or stem-cell like state, and this may contribute to the buildup of plaque in the heart's arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis, which increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other forms of heart disease.

"When diabetes is poorly managed, your blood sugar goes up and the amount of this protein goes down, so the cells become subject to abnormal proliferation," said senior author David R. Clemmons, MD, Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine. "We need to conduct more studies, but we think this cell pathway may have significant implications for how high blood glucose leads to atherosclerosis in humans."

The research could bring scientists one step closer to finding drugs to help stave off heart disease in people with diabetes, who are twice as likely to have heart disease or experience a stroke, as compared to people without diabetes. People with diabetes also tend to experience major cardiac events at a younger age.

The study focused on the cells that form the walls of veins and arteries, known as vascular smooth muscle cells. The main function of these cells is to contract whenever the heart beats, helping to push oxygen-rich blood to the body's tissues. When plaque builds up along the arterial walls, these cells gradually lose their ability to contract.

In their previous work, Clemmons and colleagues discovered that diabetes can trigger an abnormal cell signaling pathway that causes vascular smooth muscle cells to proliferate, which contributes to atherosclerosis. But their attempts to correct the abnormal signaling pathway didn't seem to completely solve the problem, leading them to suspect another factor.

In the new study, the team found that IRS-1 acts as an inhibitor of the abnormal signaling pathway thereby keeping the vascular smooth muscle cells differentiated, or specialized. In the absence of IRS-1, the cells revert to a stem-cell like state, which in turn activates the abnormal signaling pathway and promotes cell proliferation.

In people with diabetes, the presence of IRS-1 is strongly influenced by how well - or how poorly - blood sugar is kept in check. Previous studies have shown that patients who frequently or consistently have high blood sugar show dramatic reductions in IRS-1. The new study is the first to link this reduction with a predisposition for heart disease.

"The study suggests that you can't just inhibit the abnormal signaling, which we've already figured out how to do," Clemmons said. "Our work suggests you probably have to restore the normal signaling pathway, at least to some extent, in order to completely restore the cells to normal cell health, differentiation, and functioning."

As a next step, the Clemmons lab will look for things that might stimulate the synthesis of this protein even in the presence of high blood glucose.

To prove that IRS-1 acts as a brake on the abnormal signaling pathway that leads to cell proliferation, the team conducted experiments in three different types of mice: healthy mice, diabetic mice, and nondiabetic mice that were genetically engineered to produce no IRS-1. The scientists made a small incision in the blood vessels of the animals and then watched to see how the vascular smooth muscle cells reacted. In healthy mice, the incision stimulated wound healing but little cellular proliferation. In both the diabetic animals and the nondiabetic IRS-1 deficient animals, the researchers observed a marked increase in abnormal cellular proliferation.

The findings suggest that it may be possible to counteract the deleterious effects of high blood sugar on atherosclerosis by developing drugs that boost IRS-1.

Clemmons said the activities of IRS-1 might also play a role in other diabetes complications, such as eye and kidney disease. The researchers plan to study those potential links.

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Why do some people get Type 2 diabetes, while others who live the same lifestyle never do?

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I was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes and put on Metformin on June 26th, 2016. I started the ADA diet and followed it 100% for a few weeks and could not get my blood sugar to go below 140. Finally i began to panic and called my doctor, he told me to get used to it. He said I would be on metformin my whole life and eventually insulin. At that point i knew something wasn't right and began to do a lot of research. On August 13th I found Lisa's diabetes story (google " HOW EVER I FREED MYSELF FROM THE DIABETES " ) I read that article from end to end because everything the writer was saying made absolute sense. I started the diet that day and the next morning my blood sugar was down to 100 and now i have a fasting blood sugar between Mid 70's and the 80's. My doctor took me off the metformin after just three week of being on this lifestyle change. I have lost over 30 pounds and 6+ inches around my waist in a month

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Researchers implicate suspect in heart disease linked to diabetes - Medical Xpress

VOL. 132 | NO. 38 | Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Dr. Kashif Latif dedicated his life to the research and treatment of diabetes after his son, who is now 20 years old, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when he was just 11 months old.

Dr. Kashif Latif has expanded treatment of diabetes beyond the walls of AM Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, establishing a 5K run for juvenile diabetes, providing education on a radio program and more.

(Daily News/Andrew J. Breig)

Now two decades later, Latif operates the AM Diabetes and Endocrinology Center in Bartlett, a comprehensive care facility for patients with diabetes and North Americas only specialized Insulin Pump Center.

Dealing with diabetes firsthand, I realized that there was a lot more to it than just the perception part, and I decided I wanted to make an impact for patients who are dealing with this disease day in and day out, Latif said. So I went back and trained, and then developed the center where we have a whole scope of services, with dieticians, diabetes educators and pathologists in order to give patients a more holistic approach to treatment.

His reasons for opening the center are multi-faceted. Not only does he want to right perceptions related to the disease, he also seeks to evaluate the disease at all stages, along with the impact on a persons life and the community.

Memphis is an epicenter for diabetes, with Tennessee ranking fifth in the nation in its adult obesity rate. More than 29 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, with an estimated 8 million of those being undiagnosed.

Patients whose bodies do not produce enough insulin are called Type 1 diabetics. Type 2 diabetics produce enough insulin, but they have insulin resistance so there are times when medication, lifestyle changes and sometimes insulin are needed.

We offer services catered specifically to both classifications of diabetes, Latif said. The cornerstone of treatment is lifestyle changes, and we are very specific about the kinds of exercise and dietary changes people need to undertake to treat the disease.

Educating newly diagnosed patients and their families about diabetes and its treatment is a big emphasis for the clinic.

We really take pride in our education here, said Lesley Draffin, a registered nurse at the clinic. We have a comprehensive diabetes class every Wednesday and at the end of every month.

The center also offers services involving medication, and one of the ways to administer insulin is an insulin pump.

We have a longstanding experience with using insulin pumps, so for the last three years we have created a separate space or a sub-center for patients who are on insulin pumps, he said. All of the personnel that they come in contact with have an added level of expertise as far pump functions, etc.

In fact, all of the staff at the AM Diabetes and Endocrinology Center are required to try out wearing one of the pumps.

The patients really like that because it lets them know that we know what theyre feeling, said Draffin.

This spring, a more advanced insulin pump that can automatically administer insulin based on a blood-glucose sensor placed under the skin will be available for use in the marketplace. Latif presented research gathered at his clinic on the effectiveness of the new pumps at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology national meeting last year, and the FDA approved the closed loop system last September.

We showed that just by moving patients under the specialized insulin pump center model, we were able to reduce their A1C levels, which is a measure of how much the blood glucose is controlled, significantly, Latif said. Once we publish more research and get the word out, I hope well see more insulin pump centers across the country because I think that is the way of the future.

His center works at the community level to raise awareness and funds for research.

His center also is intimately involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and its efforts of fundraising, awareness and treatment of the disease, Latif said.

Five years ago, the center started the Sugar Run 5K, which has to date raised more than $120,000 all going to JDRF for juvenile diabetes research. The run is held every year in November at Jonathan Park in Collierville.

The center partners with radio host Betty Lamar every Saturday at noon for a diabetes and endocrinology hour, The Betty Lamar Show, on KWAM-990. Her show helps educate the public about diabetes care in general as well as services available at AM Diabetes.

At the center, they actually sit down so they can do a one-on-one with people, so no matter what your educational level they really give a wonderful class and all kinds of great reading material, said Lamar, who has a close family member who receives treatment for a thyroid problem at AM Diabetes.

Another goal of the center is to get the appropriate care to underprivileged children.

So many underprivileged children with juvenile diabetes really dont get the care they need, said Lamar, whose father had diabetes. You just cant get an insulin pump if you are poor. He wants to reach out and get those children on an insulin pump, or at least under his care.

Next, Latif hopes over the next couple of years to develop an online monitoring system for patients who wear glucose sensors as well as develop a registry for patients with Type 1 diabetes in Shelby County and the surrounding areas.

More:
Son's Diagnosis Fuels Multifaceted Approach to Treating Diabetes - Memphis Daily News

The proportion of deaths attributable to diabetes in the US is as high as 12 percentthree times higher than estimates based on death certificates suggesta new analysis shows.

For a new study, published inPLOS ONE, researchers used two large datasets that included more than 300,000 people to estimate the fraction of deaths attributable to diabetes among people ages 30 to 84 between 1997 and 2011. To come up with the estimates, researchers calculated the prevalence of diabetes in the population, as well as excess mortality risk among people with diabetes over five years of follow up.

The proportion of deaths attributable to diabetes was estimated to be 11.5 percent using one datasetthe National Health Interview Study (NHIS)and 11.7 percent using the otherthe National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Among the subgroups examined, the attributable fraction was highest among individuals with obesity (19.4 percent).

The proportion of deaths overall was significantly higher than the 3.3 to 3.7 percent of deaths in which diabetes is identified on death certificates as the underlying cause.

The frequency with which diabetes is listed as the underlying cause of death is not a reliable indicator of its actual contribution to the national mortality profile, writes Andrew Stokes, assistant professor of global health at Boston University School of Public Health, and Samuel Preston, professor of sociology and a researcher with the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

They say their analysis indicates that diabetes was the third leading cause of death in the US in 2010, after diseases of the heart and malignant neoplasms.

Diabetes is associated with a number of diseases and disabilities, including ischemic heart disease, renal disease, and visual impairment. Its prevalence has risen rapidly in the US and worldwide in the last 20 years.

Our results demonstrate that diabetes is a major feature on the landscape of American mortality, and they reinforce the need for robust population-level interventions aimed at diabetes prevention and care, Stokes says.

The study notes that the sensitivity and specificity of death certificate assignments of diabetes as an underlying cause of death are lowfar below those of administrative records or surveys.

When both diabetes and heart disease are mentioned on a death certificate, the researchers add, the decision about whether diabetes is listed as the underlying cause is highly variable.

The NHIS dataset is based on self-reports of diabetes diagnoses, while the NHANES data contains both self-reports and HbA1c levels, a preferred biomarker for the presence of diabetes. Individuals in both datasets were linked to the National Death Index through December 2011 to calculate mortality over five years.

The National Institute on Aging and the National Center for Health Statistics funded the work.

Source: Boston University

Excerpt from:
Diabetes could cause up to 12% of US deaths - Futurity: Research News

A

s oncologists race forward with new treatments verging on science fiction and biotech companies press onwith drugs for once-hopeless rare disorders, one of the worlds most pervasive diseases looks like its been left behind.

There are few new drugs on the horizon for diabetes, which affects about 29 million Americans. Most of the treatments in late-stage development are simply improved versions of whats out there taken weekly versus daily, or orally instead of by injection.

So has pharma run out of ideas in diabetes?

article continues after advertisement

Not exactly. But whether its ideas will ever get to market is another question. Theres plenty of promising science in the early stages of research. Available drugs, however, work pretty well. Given the cost of development and a high bar for approval, pharma can only afford to advance true-blue breakthroughs, and those are hard to come by.

There are unmet needs, but its going to take a really good drug, said Dr. John Buse, director of the Diabetes Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Its not like 10 years ago where you could market acarbose, a drug you have to take three times a day that makes you fart. Now that profile would never make it into Phase 2.

The risky bet behind the first artificial pancreas for diabetes patients

And the economics can be unforgiving. Oral insulin has long been considered a Holy Grail in diabetes research, potentially freeing patients from routine injections in favor of an easy-to-take pill. But late last year, Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk backed away from such a project not because it failed in clinical trials, but because developing it would be too expensive to get a sure return on investment.

That logic frustrates patients and their advocates.

My wish would be that people thinking like that would spend time with the people who face the challenges of Type 1 diabetes, said Derek Rapp, CEO of JDRF, which funds and advocates for research in the field.

But diabetes has become a tough and crowded market. Industry leaders Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly have all issued grim sales forecasts in recent years, as pricing pressure makes their past discoveries less and less lucrative.Novo Nordisks CEO abruptly decided to resign last year amid a surprise dip in projected revenue.

Clearly the bar has gone up, said Dr. Philip Larsen, Sanofis head of diabetes research. The larger companies are now in what you could call a thinking-outside-the box mode.

A Novo Nordisk diabetes drug may save lives, but Wall Street shrugs

That means betting on early-stage efforts that could truly move the needle, albeit withhigh odds of failure.

Scientists at Sanofi, for instance, noted that gastric bypass surgery can have remarkable effects on Type 2 diabetes, even sending some patients into remission. Their question: Can that be replicated with a drug? Theyve got a drug, now in mid-stage development, that seeks to copy the cocktail of endocrine events that happens in the aftermath of surgery, Larsen said. The goal:create an injection that spares the need for a knife.

Drug makers are also at work on so-called smart insulin, which would switch on when blood glucose is too high and then harmlessly switch off once it had normalized, reducing the risk of hypoglycemia. Others are digging into the gut microbiome, a network of trillions of microbes, in hopes of finding a way to ameliorate diabetes.

We dont want to add new classes just to have new classes, said Dr. Ruth Gimeno, vice president of diabetes research at Eli Lilly. We want to really make a difference. Were giving ourselves a little more time rather than saying lets just fill the pipeline with incremental things.

And pharma has gradually widened its aperture to include novel technology, examining how wearable devices, glucose monitors, and advanced insulin pumps can work alongside drugs to improve patients lives.

There are some exciting and promising things that are being looked at, but I think the scope of diabetes management is getting a bit wider to be not strictly pharmaceuticals, said Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief medical officer of Harvard Universitys Joslin Diabetes Center. Devices are becoming increasingly important.

For some doctors, the key isnt more new products. Its education to teach themhow to use whats already on the market

Drugs called GLP-1 agonists, introduced more than a decade ago, have proved both to lower patients blood sugar and cut the risk of long-term cardiovascular problems. The same goes for SGLT2 inhibitors, introduced in 2013, which have been shown to reduce the risk of death by 32 percent for Type 2 diabetics.

And yet theyre not being widely used.

Thats in part because most primary care physicians dont know how to use them, said Dr. Athena Philis-Tsimikas, who leads the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute in California. The other issue is paperwork: Doctors have to go through a ridiculous number of steps to get patients health plans to cover those new drugs, Philis-Tsimikas said.

Its not like were desperate for something that is additionally innovative, she said. Were not using what we have.

Damian Garde can be reached at damian.garde@statnews.com Follow Damian on Twitter @damiangarde

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Where are all the new diabetes drugs? - STAT

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The Wilkes-Barre and Greater Scranton YMCAs are launching a diabetes prevention program.

The two nonprofits are starting to sign people up now for these classes that begin on March 15.

Newswatch 16's Ryan Leckey visited the Wilkes-Barre YMCA on Monday tolearn more about the program and how you can sign up.

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Several other YMCAs across northeastern and central Pennsylvania have already started similar programs or plan to in the months to come including the YMCA in Carbondale.

If you don't live in the Wilkes-Barre or Scranton area, you're encouraged to call your local YMCA to see if the facility is offering the program.

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To find learn more about the yearlong program, how to sign up, and to take the test to see if you're at risk for Type II diabetes, head here!

For furtherquestions, contact Shadia Lahlou, the Senior Director of Chronic Disease Programs. Her email is slahlou@greaterscrantonymca.org and her phone is570-342-8115.

Take a look at this live Q & A about the program from Ryan Leckey's Facebook page.

41.244989 -75.885976

Excerpt from:
Watching Your Sugar: Area YMCAs Launch Diabetes Prevention Program - wnep.com