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Top 5 online stories posted in October
Endocrine Today has compiled a list of the top five news reports on endocrinology posted in October.
Healio.com/Endocrinology readers were interested in an antibody vaccine for type 1 diabetes treatment, approval of the Freestyle Libre Pro CGM system, and much more.
Antibody vaccine for treatment of type 1 diabetes enters preclinical trial
Neovacs, a French company specializing in immunotherapies, will begin studying its interferon-alpha kinoid vaccine for the treatment of type 1 diabetes in collaboration with French researchers at the Cochin Hospital in Paris, according to a company press release.
IFN-alpha kinoid produces polyclonal neutralizing antibodies to interrupt IFN-alpha. Overexpression of this protein is a signature of type 1 diabetes. Read more.
FDA approves Freestyle Libre Pro CGM system
The FDA has approved Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre Pro, a continuous glucose monitoring system for health care providers to use with their patients with diabetes, the company announced in a press release.
The FreeStyle Libre Pro system is part of Abbott's FreeStyle family of products, including the sensing technology for consumers, the FreeStyle Libre system. The sensor continuously measures glucose in interstitial fluid through a small (5 mm long, 0.4 mm wide) filament that is inserted just under the skin. The device records glucose levels every 15 minutes, capturing up to 1,340 glucose results for up to 14 days, giving the treating provider comprehensive data for a complete glycemic profile of the patient. Read more.
Women still uninformed about menopausal vulvar symptoms, treatments
Results of the Women’s EMPOWER survey reveal that postmenopausal women are still relatively unaware of some symptoms of menopause and their available treatments, according to findings presented at the Annual Meeting of the North American Menopause Society.
“The results of the Women’s EMPOWER survey demonstrate and reinforce that, even with multimedia marketing and educational strategies in the years after other major [vulvar and vaginal atrophy] surveys, minimal progress has been made toward increasing women’s awareness and understanding of [vulvar and vaginal atrophy],” Michael Krychman, MD, FACOG, MPH, of the Southern California Center for Sexual Health and Survivorship Medicine in Newport Beach, said in a press release. “Women remain naive to the safe and effective treatment options that are currently available and are still, for the most part, under-informed and undertreated.” Read more.
Menopausal stage affects insomnia symptoms
Symptoms of insomnia may become more prominent during later menopausal stages and may be more bothersome if menopause is brought on by surgery, according to findings presented at the Annual Meeting of the North American Menopause Society.
“The data suggests that early perimenopause is protective against the development of nighttime insomnia symptoms and therefore can protect against the development of insomnia disorder and women that progress through menopausal transition naturally have less risk of developing nighttime insomnia symptoms when compared to women surgically transitioned to menopause,” Colleen Ciano, PhD, RN, CNE, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, told Endocrine Today. Read more.
Sanofi and Verily launch diabetes management platform
In a joint venture, Sanofi and Verily are launching a diabetes management platform that will provide tools and technology to aid in improving daily life for patients, according to a press release from the companies.
The platform, called Onduo, will incorporate the expertise of Verily — a unit of Google parent, Alphabet — in miniaturized electronics, analytics and software with Sanofi’s focus on medicine and new therapies in order to help diabetes patients make better decisions and improve habits and outcomes. It is being developed with input from diabetes patients, clinicians, payers and health care professionals. Read more.