This Week in Managed Care: November 23, 2016

Hello, I’m Sara Belanger with The American Journal of Managed Care. Welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

FDA Approves Rival T2D Therapies

The FDA this week approved rival combination therapies for type 2 diabetes that pair insulin with GLP-1 receptor agonists. The market for these once-a-day injections is expected to exceed $1 billon.

Approval was expected for Sanofi’s Soliqua, which combines Lantus with lixisenatide, since the FDA had to act by the deadline on November 21. But the approval for Xultophy, the Novo Nordisk combination of its Tresiba insulin and liraglutide, comes a few weeks ahead of schedule.

Studies presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting this summer show these insulin combinations can bring superior glycemic control without the weight gain and hypoglycemia that are often seen when the treatments are used separately.

Patient-Centered Oncology Care 2016

AJMC brought stakeholders from across cancer care to Baltimore for the fifth annual meeting of Patient-Centered Oncology Care. During the meeting, an expert panel predicted that eliminating the Affordable Care Act will not mean the end of a transition to value-based care.

Keynote speaker Roy Beveridge, MD, told AJMC that means cancer patients should get more time with their caregivers. Watch the interview.

mHealth Guidelines

The American Medical Association (AMA) has issued guidelines on safe and effective use of digital devices, fitness trackers, and mobile applications.

The AMA finds that while these new technologies can offer value to patients, they are unregulated and rarely covered by insurance. According to the guidelines, doctors should educate themselves on privacy issues surrounding some of these technologies and even seek legal counsel, so they can give good information to patients.

Said Steven Stack, MD, the AMA’s immediate past president: “It is essential that mHealth apps support care delivery that is patient-centered, promotes care coordination and facilitates team-based communication.”

Dementia Rate

A study in JAMA Internal Medicine finds that dementia is declining. Rates fell from 11.6% to 8.8% from 2000 to 2012 among adults age 65 or older, according to the US Health and Retirement Survey.

The study authors said higher education levels and better treatment for diabetes may help explain the declining rates. Researchers have found a strong association between insulin resistance and cognitive decline.

They wrote: “Continued monitoring of trends in dementia incidence and prevalence will be important for better gauging the full future societal impact of dementia as the number of older adults increases in the decades ahead, as well as for clarifying potential protective and risk factors for cognitive decline.”

Patient-Centered Diabetes Care 2017

Registration is open for AJMC’s spring conference, Patient-Centered Diabetes Care, which brings together stakeholders from across the healthcare spectrum. Our fifth annual meeting will be April 6-7, 2017, at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe. Topics to be discussed include:

• paying for diabetes prevention
• the challenges of lifestyle change
• technology and population health
• how cardiovascular evidence affects treatment choices

For information and to register, visit the meeting page.

Victoza: Sponsored Content

Novo Nordisk and the Victoza team have developed a series of videos to explain cost challenges and the role of evidence in managing diabetes. The videos are part of a broader effort to improve the type 2 diabetes management landscape.

ReconsiderCosts.com

For all of us at the Managed Markets News Network, I’m Sara Belanger. Thanks for joining us.