Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes

In the News... GLP-1 oral pill moves forward, Medtronic-Abbott sensor unveiled, Afrezza submitted for kids, diabetes scholarships and more!

2025-08-15

It's In the News.. a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: cancer reserach may lead to T1D treatment, GLP-1 oral pill moves forward, Tandem pharmacy moves, Medtronic-Abbott sensor unveield, parents of kids with T1D see income drop, Mannkind submits Afrezza for pediatrics, diabetes scholarships and more! Find out more about Moms' Night Out Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injecti...

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Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I’m Stacey Simms and every other Friday I bring you a short episode with the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now.

Cornell researchers have developed an implant system that can treat type 1 diabetes by supplying extra oxygen to densely packed insulin-secreting cells, without the need for immunosuppression. The system could also potentially provide long-term treatment for a range of chronic diseases.

This lab has produced previous implantable devices that have proved effective in controlling blood sugar in diabetic mice, but they can only last so long.

"It's the proof of concept. We really proved that oxygenation is important, and oxygenation will support high cell-density capsules," Tempelman said. "The capsules are immune protective and last for a long time without having some kind of fouling of the membrane. The body never likes it when you put a foreign substance in. So that's the engineering in the Ma Lab, to look for materials and coatings for the materials that are immune protective, but also don't invoke excess response from the body because of the material."

The next step will be to implant the system in a pig model, and also test it with human stem cells. The researchers are interested in eventually trying to use the system for implanting different cell types in humans for long-term treatment of chronic diseases, according to Tempelman, who is CEO of Persista Bio Inc., a new startup she founded with Ma and Flanders that is licensing these technologies.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-implant-diabetes-oxygenating-insulin-cells.html

Mayo Clinic cancer research may be big news for T1D. After identifying a sugar molecule that cancer cells use on their surfaces to hide from the immune system, the researchers have found the same molecule may eventually help in the treatment of type 1.

Cancer cells use a variety of methods to evade immune response, including coating themselves in a sugar molecule known as sialic acid. The researchers found in a preclinical model of type 1 diabetes that it's possible to dress up beta cells with the same sugar molecule, enabling the immune system to tolerate the cells.

The findings show that it's possible to engineer beta cells that do not prompt an immune response

In the preclinical models, the team found that the engineered cells were 90% effective in preventing the development of type 1 diabetes. The beta cells that are typically destroyed by the immune system in type 1 diabetes were preserved.

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-researchers-find-sugar-coating-cells-can-protect-those-typically-destroyed-in-type-1-diabetes/

A daily pill may be as effective in lowering blood sugar and aiding weight loss in people with Type 2 diabetes as the popular injectable drugs Mounjaro and Ozempic, according to results of a clinical trial announced by Eli Lilly on Thursday morning.

The drug, orforglipron, is a GLP-1, a class of drugs that have become blockbusters because of their weight-loss effects. But the GLP-1s on the market now are expensive, must be kept refrigerated and must be injected. A pill that produces similar results has the potential to become far more widely used, though it is also expected to be expensive.

Lilly said it would seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration later this year to market orforglipron for obesity and early in 2026 for diabetes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/health/pill-glp-1-eli-lilly.html

Use of diabetes technology has dramatically increased and glycemic control has improved among people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the US over the past 15 years, but at the same time, overall achievement of an A1c level < 7% remains low and socioeconomic and racial disparities have widened.

These findings came from an analysis of national electronic health records of nearly 200,000 children and adults with T1D by Michael Fang, PhD, of the Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, and colleagues. The study was published online on August 11, 2025, in JAMA Network Open.

Use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) increased substantially from 2009-2011 to 2021-2023, from less than 5% in both children and adults to more than 80% and over half, respectively. While A1c levels did drop over the 15 years, just 1 in 5 children and slightly over a quarter of adults achieved a level < 7%. The average A1c level stayed above 8%, with ethnic minorities and low-income patients seeing the smallest gains.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/diabetes-tech-use-rise-a1c-reductions-still-lag-2025a1000lc9

Inflammation may predict how well people with diabetes respond to depression treatment, and the effects differ dramatically between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes and depression often appear together. Indeed, depression is more than three times more prevalent in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and nearly twice as prevalent in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). When they appear together, treatment for depression can vary widely.

In a new study, researchers from the German Diabetes Center (DDZ), the Research Institute of the Diabetes Academy Mergentheim (FIDAM), and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) investigated how inflammation in the body relates to improvement in depression symptoms in people with T1D and T2D.

The researchers combined data from three previous German randomized clinical trials that aimed to reduce elevated depressive symptoms and diabetes distress in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Diabetes distress is characterized by feelings of overwhelm, frustration, guilt and worry about diabetes management and its potential complications. A total of 332 participants with T1D and 189 with T2D who had completed both a baseline and 12-month follow-up examination were included in the present study. Measures included depression using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D), blood tests for 76 inflammatory biomarkers, and symptoms broken down into cognitive-affective (e.g., feeling hopeless), somatic (e.g., poor sleep, fatigue), and anhedonia (loss of pleasure) clusters.

After adjusting for factors like age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes duration, cholesterol, and co-existing illnesses, the researchers found that in patients with T1D, higher baseline inflammation was linked to smaller improvements in depression. Inflammation seemed to be more connected to physical/somatic symptoms in T1D patients. In those with T2D, higher baseline inflammation was linked to greater improvements in depression. For these patients, the effect was strongest for cognitive-affective and anhedonia – so, emotional and motivational – symptoms.

The researchers weren’t sure what caused the difference between T1D and T2D, but they suggest it might be due to the different forms of immune activation seen in each condition. That is, autoimmune processes in type 1 and metabolic inflammation in type 2.

https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/inflammation-diabetes-depression-treatment/

Parents of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes suffer an income drop in the years following the diagnosis. The impact is more pronounced in mothers, especially mothers of children diagnosed in preschool years. And these findings come from a European study.. not the US.

Previous research has shown that parents of children with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk of stress-related symptoms and may need to reduce their working hours.

"In our study, we observed reduced parental work-related incomes in the years following the child's type 1 diabetes diagnosis. The drop was larger in mothers than in fathers. Since mothers earned significantly less than fathers in absolute terms, even before the child fell ill, the relative drop in mothers was 6.6% the year following diagnosis compared to 1.5% in fathers. We further note the greatest impact on work-related incomes in mothers of children diagnosed at preschool age," says Beatrice Kennedy, physician at the Endocrine and Diabetes unit at Uppsala University Hospital and Associate Professor of Medical Epidemiology at Uppsala University, who led the study.

This is a huge study, builds on data from national population and health registers and the Swedish Child Diabetes Register (Swediabkids). The study includes the parents of more than 13,000 children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in Sweden in 1993−2014, as well as more than half a million parents in the general population who have children not diagnosed with diabetes.

The researchers observed that the maternal pension-qualifying incomes (a composite outcome including work-related income and societal benefits) initially increased after the child's diagnosis. This was attributable to mothers applying for the parental care allowance from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. The parental care allowance was intended to compensate for disease-related loss of work-related income and contribute toward disease-specific costs.

When the research team investigated long-term effects in mothers, they found that the pension-qualifying incomes gradually decreased after eight years, and had not recovered by the end of follow-up − 17 years after the children were diagnosed.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250811/Mothers-face-greater-financial-impact-following-childe28099s-type-1-diabetes-diagnosis.aspx

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Metro Nashville Public Schools after allegations that the district violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The parents of a student at the Ross Early Learning Center requested that the school monitor their child’s glucose monitor. Investigators found the school refused to do so, despite the child’s Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis.

As part of the settlement, MNPS agreed to change its policies to allow the use of these devices, ensure trained staff can monitor them throughout the entire school day and at school activities, and improve communication with parents.

https://www.wsmv.com/2025/08/12/metro-nashville-public-schools-settles-allegations-it-discriminated-against-students-with-diabetes/

Modular Medical has unveiled Pivot, its next-generation insulin patch pump technology aimed at simplifying diabetes care.

The company announced its new pump for “almost-pumpers” at the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (“ADCES”) Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend. It aims for Pivot to target adults with a user-friendly, affordable design.

Modular Medical’s current pump, the MODD1, won FDA clearance nearly a year ago. It features new microfluidics technology to allow for the low-cost pumping of insulin. The system has a reservoir size of 300 units/3mL. Users can monitor the pump activity with their cell phone and do not require an external controller. The pump uses a provided, single-use, disposable battery.

The company announced recently that it validated its insulin pump cartridge line for human-use production in the U.S. Days later, it reported the first human use of the MODD1 pump.

Now, it has taken the next steps with the debut of a next-gen pump, set for FDA submission in October.

Modular Medical also gamifies diabetes care

The company also said ADCES is the place where it will showcase the first playable level of its new Pivot pump gamified trainin module. Level Ex, a developer of medical games, develops the module.

Modular Medical said gamification offers a way to make medical training more effective and efficient while improving information retention. Given the complexity in pump uptake, the company hopes to provide an easy way to bring its technology to clinicians and patients.

The company expects to have training modules available at the same time as the pump’s planned launch in 2026.

“Level One is free because diabetes mastery shouldn’t come with a price tag,” Sam Glassenberg, CEO of Level Ex, said. “Modular Medical is breaking barriers too – bringing pump therapy to more people through smart, accessible design. Together, we intend to make diabetes management simpler and more inclusive.

“People learn best through play – and we believe they want to learn about insulin pumps the same way. In Level One, players aren’t just mastering diabetes management through gameplay – they’re asking to ‘play’ with pumps: to explore how they work, understand their benefits, and build confidence before using them in real life. Our partnership with Modular Medical helps make that possible.”

https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/modular-medical-unveils-next-gen-insulin-pump/

On Tuesday, 12 August 2025, Tandem Diabetes Care (NASDAQ:TNDM) presented at the Canaccord Genuity’s 45th Annual Growth Conference, outlining strategic shifts and market focus. The company highlighted its plans for commercial transformation in the U.S. and expansion in international markets, alongside addressing competitive challenges and regulatory impacts. While optimistic about growth in Outside the U.S. (OUS) markets, Tandem is navigating a more competitive landscape domestically.

We have entered into the pharmacy channel with Mobi only. And so as Mobi’s been building up volume, we’re getting experience and we’re really learning and understanding what pharmacy offers to us. And the proof points have proved out the thesis I said earlier, which is it can really reduce that barrier for patients, is the out of pocket cost. And so we’ve decided to accelerate our strategy and where we were starting just with Mobi, we are now moving t slim supplies into the pharmacy channel, and that will kick into gear in the fourth quarter. So as people are looking at the cadence of sales for the remainder of the year with this reframing, many folks are seeing what looks like a a might be an outsized fourth quarter and and having trouble understanding those dynamics.

We’ll be adding the tSIM supplies to those contracts. We also have more coverage. We will have it in the coming weeks effective this year, so we will be increasing that 30% rate before the end of the year. And then, obviously, everyone’s in the same cycle right now already negotiating and discussing their 2026 coverage. And so 30% is the floor.

We do expect to continue to grow that coverage in the coming years, and ultimately have a much broader access.

Absolutely. It’s an exciting technology that allows for us to have an infusion set that extends the wear time from three days to up to seven days. So we’re able to use that as part of an independent infusion set, which would then be used with the t slim and with the mobi pump today. But we’re also using that same technology as part of the site that’s used for mobi when you use it with a tubeless cartridge. So next year, we will launch Mobi in a patch configuration.

It uses the same pump that’s available today, but by using a modified cartridge, you’re able to wear it as a patch pump. So one of the things we announced on the call is that we’re using this extended wear technology as part of that site. So what it allows you to do is to change the portion that you wear in your skin separate from the timing of when you change the insulin cartridge. So it allows for that extended wear time, reduction of burden to the patient, which is especially important for higher volume insulin users as we expand into type two. So from here, we will launch the extended wear site next year along with we’ll do a separate regulatory filing for the cartridge portion for Mobi that includes this extended wear technology as a predicate device. So that’s another filing that we’ll need to do, but we have the clearance today for the independent infusion set, but we’ll file another five ten k for use of the extended wear technology as part of the tubeless Mobi feature.

https://za.investing.com/news/transcripts/tandem-diabetes-at-canaccord-conference-strategic-shifts-and-market-focus-93CH-3834464

MannKind today announced a significant regulatory submission and a large financing agreement with Blackstone.

The company submitted its lead inhaled insulin product for expanded FDA approval and secured $500 million in funding, it said.

First, the Danbury, Connecticut-based company announced that it submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Afrezza, its inhaled insulin product, in the pediatric population.

MannKind Director of Medical and Scientific Engagement Joanne Rinker, MS, RDN, BC-ADM, CDCES, LDN, FADCES, told Drug Delivery Business News at ADA 2025 that a submission was on the way for children and adolescents aged 4-17 years old. Further data shared at ADA found Afrezza both safe and effective in that age range.

Afrezza is a fast-acting insulin formulation delivered through an inhaler device. MannKind engineered the mechanical inhaler device to slowly bring powder into the lung. A small compartment opens for the insertion of the insulin cartridge, then the user closes it. The only other component is a mouthpiece for the sake of cleanliness. Then, the inhalation takes just two seconds. It requires no electronics or extra components.

The company expects a review acceptance decision early in the fourth quarter of 2025.

“The submission of our supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Afrezza in pediatric patients is a meaningful milestone for MannKind and people living with diabetes,” said Michael Castagna, CEO of MannKind Corporation.

Additional funding provides a significant boost for MannKind

MannKind also announced a strategic financing agreement with funds managed by Blackstone worth up to $500 million. The financing provides MannKind with non-dilutive capital to advance its short- and long-term growth strategies.

This senior secured credit facility includes a $75 million initial term loan funded at closing. It then has a $125 million delayed draw term loan available for the next 24 months. Finally, it features an additional $300 million uncommitted delayed draw term loan available at the mutual consent of MannKind and Blackstone.

The facility bears interest at a calculated SOFR variable rate plus 4.75% and matures in August 2030.

“This strategic financing significantly increases our operating flexibility and provides us substantial access to non-dilutive capital on favorable terms, complementing our strong cash position,” said Castagna. “The funding will support the expansion of our commercial team in preparation for the anticipated launch of the pediatric indication for Afrezza, if approved, continued pipeline advancement, potential business development opportunities, and general corporate purposes. Partnering with the Blackstone team on this transaction positions us to accelerate our next phase of growth and innovation.”

https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/mannkind-fda-submission-pediatrics-500m-blackstone/

Medtronic MiniMed Abbott Instinct Sensor

[Image from Medtronic Diabetes on LinkedIn]

The Medtronic Diabetes business today took to social media to share an early preview of a new integrated Abbott sensor for its insulin delivery systems.

Medtronic Diabetes — soon to be MiniMed after its planned separation from the medtech giant – said in the post that the new sensor specifically designed for its own systems is called “Instinct.”

“Get a sneak peek at what’s coming next: the Instinct sensor,” the business unit’s account wrote. “Made by Abbott, the Instinct sensor is designed exclusively for MiniMed systems. We’ll share more details about the Instinct sensor when it’s commercially available.”

The sensor, built on the Abbott FreeStyle Libre platform, reflects “the power of the partnership,” Abbott EVP, Diabetes Care, Chris Scoggins, told Drug Delivery Business News earlier this year.

Medtronic and Abbott — two of the largest diabetes tech companies in the world — announced a year ago that they entered into a global partnership pairing Abbott continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) with Medtronic insulin delivery systems.

The partnership aims to collaborate on a system based on Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre CGMs with Medtronic’s automated insulin delivery technology (the latest generation being the MiniMed 780G) and smart insulin pen systems, such as the InPen system.

Read more about Medtronic, Abbott and the rest of the diabetes tech industry in our free Diabetes Technology Special Report.

Medtronic’s systems previously used its own CGMs, such as the Guardian 4 and the Simplera platform, and the company intends to continue using those systems as part of a comprehensive CGM portfolio. Under the companies’ agreement, the systems would be sold exclusively by Medtronic — including the Abbott CGM.

The companies brought the partnership a step further in April when Medtronic announced the submission of an interoperable pump with the Abbott sensor technology to the FDA. They plan to share more details following the expected FDA clearance, which remains pending.

Management also recently emphasized the multi-year nature of the partnership, meaning Medtronic could pair current and future pumps with other Abbott sensors in the future. That could hint at integration with the company’s future dual glucose-ketone monitor, as a number of pump makers have already announced collaborations to pair their systems with the sensor once it hits the market.

https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/medtronic-diabetes-previews-abbott-sensor-minimed/

Governor Glenn Youngkin joined Civica officials at the company's Petersburg manufacturing facility to announce a $3 million grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia to accelerate Civica's efforts to develop and produce affordable insulin for Americans living with diabetes.

CivicaRx Logo

"We are proud to partner with Civica in their mission to make essential medicines more accessible," said Governor Youngkin. "This investment reflects our belief in the power of public-private collaboration to improve lives and strengthen communities."

These funds will support the production of insulin aspart, a rapid-acting human insulin analog used to regulate blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. Civica plans to produce both rapid- and long-acting insulins at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Petersburg, Va., where the company now employs more than 200 skilled workers.1 Over 8 million people living with diabetes need rapid-acting and/or long-acting insulin.

The Governor also announced that he had officially proclaimed August 7 – 14 2025 'Life Sciences Week' demonstrating the Commonwealth's commitment to "accelerating the advancement of the life sciences through public-private partnerships, STEM education, workforce development, and sustained investment in research and development."

"We are grateful for the Commonwealth's support," said Ned McCoy, Civica's President and CEO. "This funding will help us move closer toward our goal of ensuring that no one has to choose between insulin and other basic needs."

Civica and Virginia officials were joined by Lynn Starr, Chief Global Advocacy Officer of Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization.

"More than one million American adults live with type 1 diabetes, and many still, sadly, ration their insulin, due to the prohibitively high cost of this necessary medication," said Starr. "Civica's work will help to make insulin more affordable for people across the country."

Breakthrough T1D is among more than two dozen organizations and philanthropists, along with the states of Virginia and California, that have partnered with Civica to support the development of affordable insulins.

Civica's insulin initiative aims to provide patients with predictable, transparent pricing — no more than $30 per vial or $55 for a box of five pens — regardless of insurance status.

About Civica

Civica is a nonprofit pharmaceutical company established to address drug shortages. It was founded by a group of U.S. health systems and philanthropies who, after more than a decade of chronic shortages, recognized that the market was not self-correcting and that a different approach is required. Civica works to deliver a safe, stable, and affordable supply of essential medicines to U.S. patients.

Media Contact:

Liz Power

liz.power@civicarx.org

+1 860 501 3849

https://cbs4indy.com/business/press-releases/cision/20250807NY46213/governor-glenn-youngkin-announces-3-million-grant-to-support-civicas-affordable-insulin-programs/

If you or someone you love is living with diabetes, you already know the fight isn’t just medical—it’s financial, too. Between daily supplies, doctor visits, and long-term care, the cost of managing type 1 or type 2 diabetes can be overwhelming. Add college or trade school into the equation, and suddenly staying healthy competes with building a future. That’s where scholarships for students with diabetes—like Beyond Scholars and others listed here—step in.

Whether you’re headed to a university, a two-year college, or a hands-on trade program, these opportunities were created to ease the load.

Scholarships for students with diabetes

Beyond Scholars (from Beyond Type 1): $10,000 for recently graduated high school seniors with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes entering college or trade school. This is one of the largest needs-based diabetes scholarships in the United States. This year, awardees will also receive 6 months of wellness coaching through Risely Health.

Applications open: July 25, 2025

Deadline: August 29, 2025

Winners announced: October 2025

https://beyondtype1.org/beyond-scholars-diabetes-scholarships-college-trade-school/

Nick Jonas and Kyle Rudolph are using their platforms for a good cause.

On Tuesday, Aug. 12, the singer and the former NFL tight end (via his professional fundraising platform Alltroo) announced they're teaming up to launch a rally featuring a fan-coveted prize: a custom 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric bus that the Jonas Brothers have brought along for their 20th anniversary tour.

“Ten years ago, we hit the road with a goal to change what it means to live with diabetes. Since then, Beyond Type 1 has grown into the world’s largest digital diabetes community, offering the tools, education, and peer support needed to not only survive but thrive with diabetes,” Jonas, who co-founded Beyond Type 1 (a nonprofit that advocates for those living with diabetes), says in a statement.

“We’ve challenged stigma, built community, provided life-saving resources, and collectively driven global innovation toward prevention and cure. This milestone is a moment to rally even more support for our mission, and partnering with Alltroo helps us do that in a powerful, engaging way.”