Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease: risk reduction and early intervention.

People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have a higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) than those without. This increased risk begins with pre-diabetes, potentially 7-10 years before T2D is diagnosed. Selecting medication for patients with T2D should focus on reducing the risk of CVD and established CVD.

GLP-1 receptor agonists and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: Clinical evidence and best practice.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death and disability among people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), presenting a significant impact on longevity, patient quality of life, and health care costs. In the United States, attainment of recommended glycemic targets is low and T2D-related cardiovascular complications remain a significant burden. Many glucose-lowering treatment options are available, but glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are recommended in recent guidelines as the preferred add-on therapy to metformin to improve glycemic control.

Target attainment in insulin-naive patients at high risk for hypoglycemia: Results from ACHIEVE Control.

Aims: To better understand outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes at high risk of hypoglycemia, we conducted post hoc analyses in subgroups of participants from the real-world ACHIEVE Control study (NCT02451137) with ≥1 hypoglycemia risk factor.

Methods: Insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes and A1c ≥8% were randomized 1:1 to insulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla-300) or standard-of-care basal insulin (SOC-BI). Participants had documented history of ≥1 risk factors for hypoglycemia: chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, dementia or blindness, age ≥65 years, or history of hypoglycemia.

iGlarLixi: A New Once-Daily Fixed-Ratio Combination of Basal Insulin Glargine and Lixisenatide for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes require treatment intensification to maintain glycemic control. Clinician reluctance, patient injection fears, hypoglycemia, weight gain, or other objections may lead to clinical inertia, whereby therapy is not intensified and patients live with uncontrolled hyperglycemia and increased risk for complications. Initiation of injectable therapy with a glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonist and/or basal insulin is a recommended option for patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on one or more oral agents.

Initiating Titratable Fixed-Ratio Combinations of Basal Insulin Analogs and Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists: What You Need to Know.

Titratable fixed-ratio combinations (FRCs) of a basal insulin and a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist are new therapeutic options for people with type 2 diabetes. Two FRCs-insulin degludec/liraglutide and insulin glargine/lixisenatide-have been approved for use in the United States. The two components in these FRCs target different aspects of diabetes pathophysiology, working in a complementary manner to decrease blood glucose while mitigating the side effects associated with each component (hypoglycemia and weight gain with insulin and gastrointestinal side effects with GLP-1 receptor agonists).

How Similar Are Biosimilars? What Do Clinicians Need to Know About Biosimilar and Follow-On Insulins?

As more patents on biological medicines expire, increased numbers of biologic copies, referred to as "biosimilars," will likely become available in the United States in the coming years. With greater availability and the drive for health care savings, the use of biosimilars and of "follow-on" biological products is likely to increase in routine clinical practice. Health care practitioners need to be fully aware of these products and accompanying considerations if they are to make informed decisions together with their patients.

Hypoglycemia and diabetes: increased need for awareness.

Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low plasma glucose concentration that may expose individuals to potential harm. It is associated with treatment of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes-related hypoglycemia may result in various complications, reduced quality of life, and increased costs.

Therapeutic Options for the Management of Postprandial Glucose in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes on Basal Insulin.

In Brief For patients with type 2 diabetes who require add-on therapy to metformin plus basal insulin, GLP-1 receptor agonists may be a favorable option because they effectively manage postprandial glucose, reduce body weight, and have an overall favorable safety profile compared to other agents. Given the wide range of treatment combinations available for type 2 diabetes management, health professionals must partner with patients to determine the best choices based on patients' individual lifestyle, resources, and treatment goals.

Putting medications where they belong: practical advice for managing type 2 diabetes in clinical practice.

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex metabolic disorder that affects almost 24 million Americans. Healthcare providers often do not initiate and/or intensify therapy appropriately during patient visits, which may be due, in part, to a lack of understanding of the new diabetes medications. This review focuses on means by which primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) might evaluate the utility of pharmacologic agents based upon their relation to the pathogenesis of T2DM.

The role of the kidney in hyperglycemia: a new therapeutic target in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Diabetes is a complex and chronic metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia due to defects in the secretion and action of insulin. Diabetes affects more than 8% of the US population. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common form of diabetes and is associated with the development of a number of devastating microvascular complications, including retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy.