Investigators study effect of switching insulin medications

[Northerner]

In the United States, the drug price for insulin has skyrocketed over the last two decades. While the price has increased for all forms of insulin, newer, "analogue" insulin medications such as glargine and lispro have become especially expensive. This is particularly true for patients with insufficient drug coverage or for Medicare beneficiaries in the Part D coverage gap.

In 2015, CareMore Health, an integrated health delivery system and subsidiary of Anthem Inc., piloted an intervention to switch members from analogue to less expensive human insulin. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital have analyzed the results of the program, finding that the switch was associated with only a small, population-level increase -- 0.14 percent -- in hemoglobin A1c, a value that falls within expected biological variation. The findings appear in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190129124923.htm

 

[Robin]

Hmm, two things strike me about the study that rather limits it,
1) it only covered Type 2s on insulin, and
2) the average HbA1c of the participants was 8.46%, which they thought was OK, the recommended levels in the USA being 7%-8% for type 2s.

 

[Eddy Edson]

the recommended levels in the USA being 7%-8% for type 2s

That's just the American College of Physicians guidance. The other major groups are lower: ADA says <7% and the endocrinologists say <6.5%.