In 2018, 10.1% of adults aged 18 and over had diagnosed diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in August. The majority take medication for this condition. Compared with those without diabetes, adults with diagnosed diabetes experience higher out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications and cost-related, medication nonadherence behaviors.
Among adults with diagnosed diabetes who were prescribed medication in the past 12 months:
- 2% failed to take their medication as prescribed, and 24.4% asked their doctor for a lower-cost medication.
- Women (14.9%) were more likely than men (11.6%) to not take their medication as prescribed to reduce their prescription drug costs.
- Women (25.5%) were as likely as men (23.4%) to ask their doctor for a lower-cost medication.
In addition,
- Adults under age 65 (17.9%) were more likely than adults aged 65 and over (7.2%) to fail to take their medication as prescribed to reduce their prescription drug costs.
- Those under age 65 (26.3%) were more likely than those aged 65 and over (21.9%) to ask their doctor for a lower-cost medication.
- Among adults aged 18–64, uninsured adults (35.7%) were more likely than those with private health insurance (14.0%) or Medicaid coverage (17.8%) to not take their medication as prescribed to reduce their prescription drug costs.
- Among adults aged 18–64, uninsured adults (42.6%) were more likely than those with private (25.7%) or Medicaid coverage (18.8%) to ask their doctor for a lower-cost medication, while adults with private insurance were more likely than those with Medicaid to use this strategy.
Medtronic, Novo Nordisk
Medtronic plc and Novo Nordisk A/S announced in September a collaboration to develop solutions to integrate insulin dosing data from future Novo Nordisk smart insulin pens into continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices from Medtronic, such as the Guardian™ Connect system.
By integrating glucose monitoring and insulin dosing data, people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals and caregivers (with permission from the person with diabetes) will be able to automatically track these two items in a single place, according to the companies. Further, being able to view both glucose and insulin data together can facilitate more productive conversations between people and their doctors, enabling more informed decisions on how to better manage glucose levels and increase Time in Range, or TIR (i.e., the percentage of time people with diabetes spend in the optimal glycemic range of 70-180 mg/dL).
Novo Nordisk said it expects to launch its durable smart insulin pens, NovoPen® 6 and NovoPen Echo® Plus, as well as its disposable, pre-filled injection solution starting in 2020. Once available, smart insulin pens will be compatible with both Android and iOS devices. The Guardian Connect system will be updated as well to integrate data from these Novo Nordisk smart pens.
Abbott gets nod by Health Canada
Abbott announced in September that it received public reimbursement in Ontario and Quebec for its FreeStyle® Libre system, becoming the first sensor-based glucose monitoring system to be listed by any provincial health plan in Canada. Quebec residents 18 years or older and Ontario residents using insulin are eligible for reimbursement under the public programs. The FreeStyle Libre system replaces traditional blood glucose monitoring and allows patients to dose insulin based on the results.
The FreeStyle Libre system is indicated for measuring interstitial fluid glucose levels in adults aged 18 years and older. It was authorized for sale by Health Canada in 2017. The company reports it has secured partial or full reimbursement for the FreeStyle Libre system in 33 countries, including France, Ireland, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S.