← Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
In the News... New islets study, Tzield for babies, MiniMed Go approved, Civica insulin launched, and more!
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Support for this episode comes from Omnipod. Did you hear the pod drop? Did you know all the sounds used to make that song come from a site change with the Omnipod 5 automated insulin delivery system. Pretty cool, huh? With Omnipod 5 pump, site changes are simple. The pod lasts up to 3 days, 72 hours, and to change it, you just fill up the pod with insulin, place it on your body, tap a few buttons in the Omnipod 5 app, and you're ready to go. There's no tubing to prime like with traditional insulin pumps, and it's virtually pain free, so you never have to see or handle the insertion needle. Want to try Omnipod 5 for yourself? Request a free Omnipod 5 starter kit today by visiting omnipod.com diabetesconnections Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Hey, everybody. Welcome to another week of Diabetes Connections. I'm your host, Stacey Sims. You know, we aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. This is an in the News episode. We're doing things a little differently this year, but I'm still bringing you the top diabetes stories and headlines. Happening now, we are rotating the shorter episodes with our longer interview episodes, but all on Tuesdays. Now, if you're new around here, prior to this episode, in the News ran just about every other Friday and every single week we did a long format interview show. But in 2026, we're changing the schedule and streamlining things. And I'm telling you all this because I also want you to know this is why you're gonna hear ads on the in the News episodes. My usual disclaimer. We believe in the products advertised here, but nobody tells me what stories to run or what to say. The commercials are separate from the news. Now, I know most podcasters don't do this kind of disclaimer anymore, but I come from traditional broadcasting. It's very important to me. So I'm not putting this disclaimer at the very end of the show after the music. I'm not trying to hide anything here, just explaining why you're hearing what you're hearing. All right, let's get to in the News. As always, more information on all of these stories and headlines are in the show notes. I have a link sourcing every single one of these or leading you to more information. You can always find that in whatever podcast app you're listening or over on diabetes-connections.com Our top story this week, positive results for a phase 1 clinical trial of encapsulated islets in people with type 1 from Encelin. This first in human trial is assessing safety and adverse events, cells survival within the device and scarring fibrosis around the implants. As planned, the devices were removed from the initial five participants after four months of implantation. They found minimal to no scar tissue, robust formation of blood vessels around the device and viable eyelets inside the device very early. But these results indicate the device has the potential to host islet cells while maintaining sufficient oxygen and nutrient flow for the cells to work effectively. This technology was originally developed with funding from Breakthrough T1D. The US Food and Drug Administration has accepted Tzield for priority review to expand the current age indication from 8 years and above to as young as 1 year old and above to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 in patients diagnosed with stage 2 type 1. The review comes after positive data from a phase 4 study and the anticipated action date for the decision is April 29. Separately, the European Commission approved Sanofi's Tzeal to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 in adult and pediatric patients 8 years of age and older with stage 2. A positive opinion on this had been issued In November, nearly three years after Breakthrough T1D joined forces with Civica, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company. Its first insulin is now available for purchase at pharmacies. This is a long acting insulin interchangeable with Lantus. It's called Civica Insulin Glargine Yifgen. I'm told that's how you pronounce it. It's Glargine Y, F G N. It will have a Cal Rx label in California. The maximum recommended price is $55 per box of five pens. The cost may be lower depending on insurance. If you already have a prescription for Insulin Glargine, you do not need a new one according to this press release. Because Sivica insulin is interchangeable, I'd definitely confirm this with your provider and your pharmacist. The FDA clears the Minimed Go app for multiple daily injections. Minimed Go is a smart MDI system that integrates the Inpenn Smart Insulin pen with the Instinct sensor made by Abbott. Medtronic and Abbott entered into a collaboration in August of 2024 to get this done. They launched this pairing with the pump system with the 780G last year. Now the technology can pair with Medtronic's In Pen smart insulin pen. MiniMedGo has clearance for people with insulin requiring type 1 and type 2 age 7 years and older. It also received a nod for kids 2 to 6 under the supervision of an adult caregiver. Compatibility for Medtronic's own simplera sensor with MiniMedGo remains under FDA review. Medtronic expects to launch MiniMedGo in the US this spring. Big new study one of the first to highlight diabetes distress in people over the age of 65. This comes from the University of North Carolina. Looking at the unique stressors in this age group, the researchers found that markedly elevated levels of diabetes distress were less prevalent among older adults than in younger age groups. And understanding the sources of that distress will help healthcare and public health experts improve treatment strategies for this older population. About 36% of older adults reported elevated levels of diabetes distress. The most common financial worries, type 1 management difficulties and worries about complications. An unexpected finding. People who had been diagnosed with Type one at earlier ages or had lived with the condition the longest were had lower levels of diabetes distress. The FDA announced plans to stop subjecting non medical grade wearable devices to FDA regulations in an effort to clarify the agency's approach on AI and digital health. And this builds on their existing policy classifying low risk wellness tools like fitness apps, activity trackers, things that encourage exercise as non medical devices exempt from from tight regulation as long as they don't make claims related to diagnosis or treatment. I'm watching this closely. I'm really curious to see which will be the first diabetes related product through the gate. Of course they're not gonna call it that, they're not gonna use any kind of disease or condition to get through this, but you know somebody is gonna test the limits here. Sensonics has begun the launch of its Eversense 365 sensor with the SQL MedTech Twist Pumpkin. This is the first pairing with the implantable 1 year CGM. The system features what they're calling Isure technology which the company says includes four checkpoints to provide accurate delivery and alert users to blockages quickly. It is cleared for ages 6 and up with type 1 diabetes. Sequel began the rollout for its system in 2025. Interesting study testing GIP in men with type 1. Now you've heard of GIP. It's in drugs like tirzepatide along with GLP1. These are hormones for blood sugar control and weight loss. These Danish researchers tested whether giving a GIP intravenously would level out blood sugar after meals in settings that put the men at high risk for low blood sugar like exercise. It did not prevent lows, but it did reduce peak glucose levels after meals. I'm not sure what the long term indications of this would be But I am watching any study that uses a GIP or GLP1 indicator. People with Type 1, a familiar name to many of you, is starting a new venture and we'll tell you all about it right after this. Support for this episode comes from Dexcom. When it comes to managing diabetes, we all want less stress and more safety and accuracy. Benny has been working a ton and he's going to school and it's a lot to manage. I know diabetes will never be stress free, but we want tools that'll lighten the load. That's why I'm really excited about the Dexcom G7 15 day for people over 18. It's the longest lasting CGM sensor available with 15.5 days of wear including a 12 hour grace period. You get less hassle and less waste and it keeps everything we already love about Dexcom real time numbers to your phone or watch, accurate readings and customizable alerts. If you want fewer interruptions in your diabetes routine and more consistency, Check out Dexcom G7 15 day@dexcom.com Interesting news from a power player in diabetes Marie Schiller announced a new source for the diabetes community, a company called Locasana and a consumer brand called HealthSites. Shiller wrote on LinkedIn that she will be CEO of the company that seeks to develop an at home diagnostic concept to assess tissue and skin health. Healthy Sites is a consumer brand dedicated to helping people care for their skin before, during and after therapy. As we all know, a lot of people struggle with redness and scarring and irritation from insulin pump sites and have had few product level solutions available to them, shiller says. Shiller co founded the T1D exchange and served as Vice president, Connected Care and Insulin Product and sighthead for Eli Lilly's Cambridge Innovation Center. She's lived with Type 1 for more than 40 years. I was very sorry to hear about the death of David Mitchell, the founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs. Mitchell died on January 2nd. Patients for Affordable Drugs is the only national patient advocacy organization focused exclusively on policies that lower prescription drug prices. I spoke with Mitchell and Lauren Stanford about the organization and the legislation they were urging should pass at the time. Back in 2020. I will link that interview up in the show notes. Our conversation starts about five minutes in. I didn't know David personally, but in our conversation and in everything I read, he was practical, passionate and hopeful. Patience for Affordable Drugs has had some big victories and their work will go on. A new scholarship for College students with Type 1 is open for entrance. The Mankind Al Man Centennial Scholarship seeks to empower young adults with diabetes to pursue their dreams in the life sciences. Any incoming freshman or current undergrad student who is between 18 and 22 can apply for the scholarship. You gotta be living with type 1 or type 2 and pursue life sciences or a related field. Again, more information@diabetes-connections.com and that is in the news. If you like it, please share it. As always, stay tuned on our social channels for any breaking news or information. We will be back next week week with our long format interview show. I'm Stacey Sims. I'll see you back here soon. Until then, be kind to yourself. Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacy Sims Media. All rights reserved. All wrongs avenged. From the very beginning, they mean mean everything to you. And that means you do anything for them, especially if they're at risk. So when it comes to type 1 diabetes, screen it like you mean it. Even if just one person in your family has type one, you are up to 15 times more likely to get it too. Screen it like you mean it, because one blood test could help you spot type 1 long before you need insulin. Talk to your doctor about how to screen for type 1 diabetes, because the more you know, the more you can do. So don't wait. Then visit screenfortype1.com to learn more. Again, that's screenfortype1.com.