It's In the News.. a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: Eli Lilly will start a lcinical trial for tirzepatide for people with type 1 diabetes, more details on Dexcom's 15 day G7 sensor, Ozepmic pill form tested, type 5 diabetes identified and more!

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Episode transcription with links:

 

Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I’m Stacey Simms and every other Friday I bring you a short episode with the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now.

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Our top story this week.. Eli Lilly takes the first steps toward getting tirzepatide approved for people with type 1 diabetes. Tirzepatide is sold under the brand names Mounjaro for type 2 and Zepbound for obesity.

The main purpose of this study is to find out how well and how safely tirzepatide works in adults who have type 1 diabetes and obesity or are overweight. Participation in the study will last about 49 weeks.

Official Title

A Phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Tirzepatide Once Weekly Compared to Placebo in Adult Participants With Type 1 Diabetes and Obesity or Overweight

This is a big deal because, even though many people with type 1 are able to get a prescription for tirzepatide, it’s not approved for T1D and so insurers won’t usually cover it.

 

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06914895

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The use of drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound in people with type 1 diabetes has risen sharply over the past decade, a new study finds, even though there’s little information on the drugs’ safety and effectiveness for the condition.

The family of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists includes drugs like Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, Mounjaro and Victoza.

But the clinical trials of these medications specifically excluded people with type 1 diabetes, who are dependent on the hormone insulin to survive because they can’t make enough of their own. Drugmakers feared that using the GLP-1 medications with insulin might raise the chance of dangerously low blood sugar events, or hypoglycemia, and were unwilling to take the risk of studying them in people with type 1.

 

For the study, which was published last month in the journal Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, researchers at Johns Hopkins University reviewed the medical records of more than 200,000 people with type 1 diabetes from 2008 to 2023.

They grouped the data in three-year periods, starting with October 2008 to September 2011 and ending with October 2020 to September 2023.

GLP-1 medication use spiked, as well. Among adults with the highest category of obesity, about 4% used GLP-1 medications in 2008, and 33% did by 2023 – an 800% increase.

But these are anecdotal reports and may not reflect instances in which people have side effects or complications like low blood sugar, which can be life-threatening.

But Shin says what’s really needed is information from randomized, double-blinded studies, in which participants are followed forward in time and given either a drug or a placebo.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/health/glp-1-type-1-diabetes-study/index.html

 

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Later this month the FDA will conduct a final meeting regarding a new, investigational compound (sotagliflozin) soda-GLIFF-a-zin that has been shown to Improve QoL and Reduce Long-term Complications for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The patient advocacy group Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD.org) is working to inform the T1D community about sotagliflozin - and to encourage people to sign a Change.org petition directed towards FDA. 

Last fall, the FDA declined to approve sotagliflozin due to concerns about a potential increased risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), despite this being a condition that people with T1D on insulin face and manage daily. While TCOYD respects FDA’s caution, the group stands by T1D patients and their physicians who, as a team, balance risks and benefits every day.

https://tcoyd.org/petition/

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Dexcom receives FDA approval for it’s G7 with 15 day wear. We have an interview with Chief Operating Officer Jake Leach coming up on Tuesday – we talk about the planned roll out of this sensor, what else has changed, and the fine print in the press release – it says

 

 “A study was conducted to assess the sensor life where 73.9% of sensors lasted the full 15 days. When using the product per package labeling, approximately 26% of sensors may not last for the full 15 days.

 

https://investors.dexcom.com/news/news-details/2025/Dexcom-G7-15-Day-Receives-FDA-Clearance-the-Longest-Lasting-Wearable-and-Most-Accurate-CGM-System/default.aspx?utm_source=www.diabetech.info&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=dexcom-g7-15-day-sensor-gets-fda-cleared-but-will-it-actually-last-that-long

 

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Glucotrack is joining something called  FORGETDIABETES bionic pancreas initiative, - this is an European Union project that aims to develop a long-term automated insulin delivery system for type 1 diabetes patients.

Glucotrack's Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor (CBGM) will be integrated into the system to provide real-time glucose readings. The initiative's goal is to create a bionic invisible pancreas that eliminates the need for therapeutic actions and reduces psychological burden.

 

The architecture of BIP encompasses a ground-breaking, lifelong lasting implanted ip glucose nanosensor; a radically novel ip hormone delivery pump, with unique non-invasive hormone refill with a magnetic docking pill and non-invasive wireless battery recharge; an intelligent closed-loop hormone dosing algorithm, optimized for ip sensing and delivery, individualized, adaptive and equipped with advanced self-diagnostic algorithms.

 

 

Pump refilling through a weekly oral recyclable drug pill will free T1D subjects from the burden of pain and awkward daily measurement and treatment actions. Wireless power transfer and data transmission to cloud-based data management system round-up to a revolutionary treatment device for this incurable chronic disease. key feature of BIP is to be fully-implantable and life-long lasting thanks to novel biocompatible and immune-optimized coatings guaranteeing long-term safety and stability

https://www.stocktitan.net/news/GCTK/glucotrack-to-participate-in-forgetdiabetes-a-prominent-european-cjjldjb0dq7h.html

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A newly recognised form of diabetes, called Type 5, was announced this week at the World Congress of Diabetes 2025. A global task force will investigate this less-understood condition, which differs from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Type 5 diabetes affects people who are underweight, lack a family history of diabetes and do not show the typical symptoms of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

The condition was first observed in the 1960s and referred to as J-type diabetes, after being detected in Jamaica. It was classified by the World Health Organisation in 1985, but removed in 1998 due to lack of physiological evidence. At the time, experts believed it to be a misdiagnosed case of Type 1 or 2 diabetes. New research has since confirmed that Type 5 is different.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/a-new-type-of-diabetes-has-been-found-by-scientists-and-it-doesnt-show-the-typical-symptoms-of-type-1-or-type-2/articleshow/120276658.cms?from=mdr

 

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Oral semaglutide cuts major heart risks in people with type 2 diabetes by 14%, offering a powerful pill-based option.

A new clinical trial, co-led by endocrinologist and diabetes specialist John Buse, MD, PhD, and interventional cardiologist Matthew Cavender, MD, MPH, at the UNC School of Medicine, has demonstrated that the oral form of semaglutide significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular events in individuals with type 2 diabetes, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and/or chronic kidney disease.

Results from the rather large, international trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session & Expo in Chicago, Illinois.

 

 

The effect of oral semaglutide on cardiovascular outcomes was consistent with other clinical trials involving injectable semaglutide, but more trials are needed to determine if one method may be more effective than the other at reducing major cardiovascular events.

https://scitechdaily.com/new-pill-form-of-semaglutide-shows-major-benefits-for-people-with-diabetes/

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April 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday warned consumers and pharmacies that fake versions of Ozempic, a drug to treat Type 2 diabetes, have been found in the United States.

Novo Nordisk, the Danish-headquartered manufacturer, informed the FDA on April 3 that counterfeit 1-milligram injections of semaglutide were being distributed outside its authorized supply chain.

The FDA and Novo Nordisk are testing the fake products to identify whether they're safe.

Patients are asked to obtain Ozempic with a valid prescription through state-licensed pharmacies and check the product for any signs of counterfeiting.

People in possession of the fake product are urged to call Novo Nordisk customer care at 800-727-6500 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT and report it to the FDA's criminal activity division's website.

Side effects can be reported to FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program (800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch) as well as to Novo Nordisk, at 800-727-6500.

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2025/04/14/FDA-fake-Ozempic-drugs-Novo-Nordisk/6841744666854/

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Can a digital lifestyle modification program reduce diabetes risk? A new study shows that the lifestyle intervention significantly reduced 10-year diabetes risk among prediabetics by nearly 46% and increased the diabetes remission rate, highlighting the importance of lifestyle changes. However, the study was not a randomized trial, and participation in the lifestyle intervention was voluntary, which may introduce selection bias.

The study evaluated 133,764 adults, categorizing them as diabetic (7.5%), prediabetic (36.2%), and healthy (56.3%), based on fasting glucose and HbA1c levels.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250414/Digital-lifestyle-program-cuts-diabetes-risk-by-4625-in-prediabetics-study-of-130k2b-adults-reveals.aspx

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Chrissy Teigan is speaking out about her son’s type 1 diagnosis – teaming up with Sanofi to encourage people to screen early for Type 1 diabetes.

 

Teigen got a crash course in the risks of undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes when her 6-year-old son, Miles, was hospitalized with complications of the autoimmune disease last year. The family knew nothing about Type 1 diabetes when Miles was diagnosed during an unexpected medical emergency, Teigen said in a Tuesday announcement.

“We were confused and scared when Miles was first diagnosed,” she said in a statement. “There is no doubt in my mind that knowing in advance would have made a positive impact for Miles, me, and our entire family. I want everyone to hear me when I say: stay proactive and talk to your doctor about getting yourself or your loved ones screened for type 1 diabetes today!”

 

Teigen shared her family’s story in a two-minute video on ScreenForType1.com, a Sanofi website that discusses how to get screened for the condition. Miles’ diagnosis made Teigen feel like she “went from a mom to a doctor overnight,” she said. That experience is why Teigen said she is “begging you: Do this one thing, and screen yourself and your family for Type 1 diabetes.”

https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/sanofi-signs-chrissy-teigen-diabetes-screening-campaign

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Dr. Richard Bernstein – best known for his advocacy around low carb diets for people with diabetes – died this week at the age of 90. Born in 1934 in Brooklyn, New York, he was diagnosed with type 1 at age 12. In the 1970s he adapted a blood glucose monitor for home use and helped pioneer home glucose monitoring.

He published multiple books on Diabetes including the #1 selling Diabetes book on Amazon.Com “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution: A Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars” and “Diabetes Type II: Living a Long, Healthy Life Through Blood Sugar Normalization”.  He practiced and saw patients right up until his death.