Diabetes

Price competition in the US insulin market is heating up; Novo Nordisk reported in its second-quarter earnings call that its 2018 US insulin prices could drop below 2017 levels.

Biocon’s net profits for the past quarter dropped by 51%, according to a statement made by the Bangalore-based drug manufacturer.

The emergence of biosimilar insulins may help broaden access to modern insulins, increase individualized treatment options, and reduce the cost of insulin therapy. Yet many healthcare providers may not understand the concept of biosimilarity and how biosimilar medications are similar, not identical, to their reference products.

The FDA has granted Merck’s insulin glargine (Lusduna Nexvue) tentative approval. Merck says that its follow-on basal insulin has met all required regulatory standards of clinical and nonclinical safety, efficacy, and quality for follow-on biologics.

Republican Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval yesterday signed into law the country’s strictest requirements for drug companies to show how they set prices for certain prescription drugs, with a specific focus on insulin.

The study pesented at the American Diabetes Association 77th Scientific Sessions compared Mylan/Biocon’s MYL-1501D, a proposed biosimilar to Sanofi-Aventis’ insulin glargine, with the reference product.

In order to investigate the best morning insulin therapy to improve glycemic variability in patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers from Japan compared morning injections of insulin glulisine and insulin glargine with injections of insulin lispro and insulin glargine biosimilar.