Walmart’s Cheap Insulin; Obesity Jaw Lock Backlash; ICER to Review Tirzepatide

Walmart announced plans to sell a cheaper version of analog insulin — ReliOn NovoLog — at a price tag of about $73 for a vial or $86 for a package of prefilled pens for patients without health insurance or those who can’t afford it. (CNBC)

Obesity was linked to an increased risk for endometrial cancer among Chinese women experiencing postmenopausal bleeding. “Key takeaways are that all women with postmenopausal bleeding should undergo evaluation, and obesity remains an important and modifiable risk factor for endometrial cancer, with a linear relationship between BMI and endometrial cancer risk,” commented Stephanie Faubion, MD, MBA, medical director of the North American Menopause Society, in a statement. (Menopause)

The DentalSlim Diet Control — a novel intra-oral device fitted to the upper and lower back teeth created by researchers in the U.K. and New Zealand — is being lambasted by the public as a barbaric treatment for overweight and obesity. The weight-loss device works by engaging a magnet to prevent the individual from opening their mouth, forcing them on a liquid diet for 2 weeks, which yielded a 5.1% body weight reduction in a study published in the British Dental Journal. (The Guardian)

With a new Medicare policy change effective July 18, patients will now be eligible to use both Afrezza (insulin human inhalation powder) and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). “Prior to this change, Medicare denials were occurring for patients using CGMs and inhaled insulin as an alternative to injected mealtime insulin,” said Michael Castagna, PharmD, chief executive officer of MannKind Corporation, in a statement.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) announced plans to weigh the clinical effectiveness with the value of the investigational GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, after positive results of the drug’s efficacy were presented at this year’s American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions.

A phase I study will compare Adocia’s BioChaperone lispro pramlintide, a prandial formulation for insulin pump delivery, with rapid insulin lispro in 16 participants with type 1 diabetes.

Compared with sulfonylureas, veterans with type 2 diabetes newly placed on an SGLT-2 inhibitor saw a lower risk of all-cause mortality, even if they didn’t have pre-existing cardiovascular disease. That being said, those on an SGLT-2 inhibitor plus metformin saw an even lower all-cause mortality risk than those on just the inhibitor alone. (JAMA Internal Medicine)

The Endocrine Society announced that its journals — including Endocrine Reviews, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Endocrinology — saw marked improvements in Impact Factor scores.