It's In the News, a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community.
This week's top stories: Metformin may help stem macular degeneration, retatutride moves forward, T1D and demntia link studied, lots of news from ATTD and more!
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transcript with links:
Welcome! I'm your host Stacey Simms and this is an In The News episode.. where we bringing you the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now. A reminder that you can find the sources and links and a transcript and more info for every story mentioned here in the show notes.
Who's in Vegas? I'll see you there at the Breakthrough T1D summit this weekend.
And we have two Club 1921 events for health care providers and patient leaders happening in April – head on over to the website for more.
Okay.. our top story this week:
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Metformin may be linked to the slower progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Among people with diabetes who were older than 55, those taking metformin had a 37% lower chance of developing intermediate AMD over a five-year period compared with individuals who were not using the medication.
It's one of the leading causes of vision loss in the US and many other western countries.
These researchers now say a clinical trial is the next step.
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-surprising-eye-benefit-of-widely-used-diabetes-drug/
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new study suggests people with type 1 diabetes may be nearly three times as likely to develop dementia compared with people without diabetes.
Similarly, people with type 2 diabetes may have roughly twice the risk of dementia compared with those without diabetes.
However, the study found an association rather than proof of causation, meaning diabetes was linked to dementia risk but was not shown to directly cause it.
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2026-03-19/both-types-of-diabetes-increase-dementia-risk
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Researchers in Japan say they've developed an insulin pill… in mice. The study, published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, tested the delivery of oral insulin by building a carrier peptide called DNP-V. This peptide helps to transport insulin through the small intestine, where protein drug absorption is usually poor.
The result was a rapid and significant drop in blood glucose, as well as a sustained (longer-term) decrease. The mice's blood sugar was reduced to near-normal levels.
Although the researchers are optimistic about the findings translating to larger therapeutic models, they noted that the results in mice do not guarantee the same outcome in humans, and that more research is needed.
https://www.foxnews.com/health/needle-free-diabetes-management-could-horizon-study-suggests
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Lilly says it's next-generation obesity drug retatutride cleared its first late-stage trial on Type 2 diabetes patients. The drug lowered hemoglobin A1C by an average of 1.7% to 2% across different doses at 40 weeks compared with placebo, and helped patients lose an average of 16.8% of their weight.
Retatrutide also met the study's second goal, helping patients at the highest dose lose an average of 16.8% of their weight, or 36.6 pounds, at 40 weeks, when evaluating only patients who stayed on the drug. When analyzing all participants, including those who discontinued treatment, the highest dose of the drug helped patients lose 15.3% of their weight.
The company was also "very pleased" with the relatively low discontinuation rates due to side effects, which were up to 5%, he added.
But Lilly has yet to file for approval of the drug for obesity or diabetes. The company expects to report findings from seven additional phase three trials on the drug by the end of the year.
Still, retatrutide's A1C reduction doesn't appear to be the greatest Lilly has seen within its portfolio: The highest dose of Zepbound lowered the measure by more than 2% at 40 weeks in two separate trials on diabetes patients.
Dubbed the "triple G" drug, retatrutide works by mimicking three hunger-regulating hormones – GLP-1, GIP and glucagon – rather than just one or two like existing treatments. That appears to have more potent effects on a person's appetite and satisfaction with food than other treatments.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/19/eli-lillys-obesity-drug-retatrutide-clears-late-stage-diabetes-trial.html
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The MiniMed Flex gets FDA approval. Thi is a new design from the company formerly known as Medtronic. It's about half the size* of the MiniMed™ 780G pump, no screen – smartphone controlled – and has the SmartGuard™ algorithm with Meal Detection™ technolog. At commercial launch, MiniMed Flex™ will support the company's newest sensor portfolio, including Simplera Sync™ sensor and the Instinct sensor, made by Abbott.
MiniMed also announced the MiniMed™ Forward Program, which allows customers who start on the MiniMed™ 780G system to upgrade to the MiniMed Flex™ system for $0.
MiniMed Flex™ is cleared for individuals ages 7 and older with type 1 diabetes, and for individuals 18 years and older with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/minimed-announces-fda-clearance-of-minimed-flex-the-companys-smallest-insulin-pump-featuring-its-first-smartphone-controlled-design-302716864.html
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Lots of new out of the recent ATTD conference.. some headlines:
New study from the UK shows that Ketone Monitoring Could Significantly Reduce DKA Risks in people with type 1 and type 2. This was a study by Abbott which recently submitted a continuous dual glucose-ketone monitor to the FDA for clearance – if approved, it could be available in the U.S. later this year.
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The first modified insulin producing cells are still working 14 months after transplant – without the need for immunosuppressive drugs. This is from Sana which now plans a study of a new therapy.. same gene-editing strategy with lab-grown, stem-cell-derived insulin-producing cells.
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Protein looks like it helps avoid lows during exercise. Both high and low doses of whey protein before exercise were effective, significantly reducing the risk of hypoglycemia by five to 10 times.
Researchers noted that the body's response to protein was rapid (within 20 minutes), which suggests taking it close to the beginning of exercise could be beneficial for preventing hypoglycemia. Though more research is needed, there was also evidence showing protein intake could be beneficial for prolonged fasting and preventing overnight lows.
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More info about type 1 and GLP medications. Researchers at ATTD presented the results of a small, seven-month study assessing the effectiveness of semaglutide for people with type 1 diabetes and obesity. During the trial, 36% of participants taking semaglutide spent more than 70% of their time in range, less than 4% of their time below range, and lost more than 5% of their body weight compared to those not taking semaglutide.
Treatment with semaglutide was also associated with reductions in cholesterol and blood pressure. Based on all of these changes, the researchers calculated that the participants who received semaglutide had significantly reduced their risk of heart disease over the next 10 years.
Other studies show that since 2020, prescriptions of GLP-1 medications have grown exponentially for adults with type 1 diabetes between the ages of 18 and 85.
https://diatribe.org/diabetes-research/top-diabetes-news-attd-2026
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Lots of talk about fully closed loops.. CamDiab unveiled theirs.. called Liberty.. which the company says it's the world's first fully closed loop commercial launch.
CamDiab offers the FDA-approved mylife CamAPS FX app for automating insulin delivery in MyLife's (formerly Ypsomed Diabetes Care's) insulin delivery pumps. The mylife CamAPS FX on iOS has full compatibility with leading continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). Those include the FreeStyle Libre 3 and Libre 3 Plus from Abbott and the Dexcom G6 so customers can use their preferred device.
https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/camdiab-unveils-fully-closed-loop-insulin-feature/
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Insulet reported data on a fully closed-loop automated insulin delivery system in people with Type 2 diabetes.
The 24 people in the trial spent 24% more time in the target blood glucose range using the system than when receiving standard injection therapy.
Insulet plans to start a pivotal study this year and aims to launch in 2028. Rival insulin pump manufacturer Tandem is on a similar course. Tandem CEO John Sheridan told investors on an earnings call last month that his team plans to start a pivotal trial this year to support a filing with the Food and Drug Administration in 2027.
Medtronic disclosed the start of a pivotal trial of its Vivera fully closed-loop algorithm last month, shortly before spinning off the program as part of the MiniMed initial public offering. The algorithm, which is designed to eliminate carb counting and manual food bolusing, achieved a mean time in range of 73.8% without manual user input in a feasibility study.
https://www.medtechdive.com/news/insulet-posts-clinical-data-on-fully-closed-loop-insulin-delivery-system/814516/
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Congrats to all honored by the 2026 National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Awards from the American Diabetes Association! Shout out to Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCACP, BC-ADM, CDCES: 2026 Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award and to Korey Hood who receives the Richard Rubin award. Dr. Rubin was a pioneer in behavioral science and committed to keeping the person with diabetes at the center of research and care.
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