Using Afrezza inhaled insulin with a CGM

November 3, 2014- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Inhaled insulin will make a comeback when Read more »

Hacking CGM’s to smartphones

October 31, 2014- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Type 1 diabetes patients using continuous glucose monitors have been creating their own software, or hacking, to allow their CGM to send the data to a more manageable smartphone. This allows parents and other parties to monitor the health of loved ones, as well as makes the data more easily available to see on Read more »

Exclusive: Why did Dr. Nissen resort to secret tapes?

February 23, 2010- By Steven E. Greer, MD

Many in the cardiology community are a bit confused as to why Dr. Steven Nissen Read more »

The clinical hurdles to prescribing CGM

October 31, 2014- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

The portion of total Type 1 diabetes patients who use continuous glucose monitors (CGM) are still far less than 50%. We interviewed  the CEO of Dexcom, Terry Gregg, with diabetes expert Jay Skyler, MD, from Miami, to discuss the clinical hurdles to prescribing CGM.

Disclaimer: Dr. Skyler has various relationships with Dexcom.

Super rapid acting insulin and inhaled insulin

Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Jay Skyler, MD, PhD, Deputy Director of the Diabetes Research Institute at The University of Miami, and Chairman of the NIH’s TrialNet, discusses the “prandial problem” that requires “super rapid acting” insulin, and some new insulins in clinical trials, including inhaled Afrezza.

Disclosure: Jay Skyler, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Served as an advisor/consultant for: Sanofi-Aventis; Gilead Sciences, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc.; Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.; Cebix, Incorporated; Lilly USA, LLC, Dr. Skyler is an unpaid member of the scientific advisory board of MannKind

Received grants for clinical research from: Halozyme Therapeutics; Intuity Medical, Inc.; Mesoblast Limited; Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.

Owns stocks, stock options, or bonds from: Dexcom, Inc.; Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Moerae Matrix; Opko Health Inc.; Patton Medical Devices, LP

Jay Skyler discusses the recent bionic pancreas data

June 22, 2014- By Steven E. Greer, MD

This week, the mainstream press reported on the “bionic pancreas” data published in the NEJM by a group from Boston University and Harvard. Last September, The Healthcare Channel interview Jay Skyler, MD, PhD, an NIH researcher and Type-1 diabetes expert, about this very same program. At the 5:00 mark of the video, Dr. Skyler discusses the bionic pancreas.

Matthews Chacko, MD: Renal denervation to treat HTN

December 29, 2010

Many medical devices cause a far greater clinical impact than pharmaceutical therapies such as statins and chemotherapies. For example, ICDs have a dramatic life-saving capability, but for only a small portion of the patients receiving an ICD. Likewise, coronary stents improvement survival in patients with acute MI, but merely alleviate angina in most other patients.

A new device, unknown to most doctors, currently being investigated in Australia, Europe, and South America, could confer the most dramatic clinical benefit to the largest group of patients in the history of medical devices. That device is the Ardian renal artery/nerve ablation catheter to treat essential hypertension, recently acquired by Medtronic.

Medications to treat high blood pressure deliver tens of billions in revenue to the pharmaceutical companies, yet the magnitude of effect is just a few millimeters of mercury reduction in hypertension. In a small, but well designed, trial of the Ardian device, improvements in blood pressure of the magnitude of 30 mmHg were seen in almost all patients. If these data hold up, and safety concerns do not arise, this device would turn the hypertension market upside down, to the dismay of Big Pharma. Total medical costs could be reduced as well if damage to the kidneys, eyes, and hearts of millions of patients are avoided.

Matthews Chacko, MD, Director of Peripheral Vascular Intervention at Johns Hopkins, discusses this device, the data in The Lancet, and his thoughts on safety and efficacy.

CBS allows TV doctor to make egregious claims about statins

Can a “calculator” really tell doctors who should be on Lipitor?

Nortin Hadler, MD: lack of evidence for widespread statin use

The risk of diabetes associated with statin drugs

“You’re telling me this now?” Why the news is suddenly critical of statins and antidepressants

 Sanjay Kaul, MD: The Crestor JUPITER indication label expansion

FDA reviews the safety of Januvia, Byetta, and other GLP-1 diabetes drugs

Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Janet Woodcock, MD, the FDA’s Director of CDER (in charge of all new drugs) discusses the safety review for GLP-1 agonist diabetes drugs, such as Januvia and Byetta.

Updates on new therapies for Type 1 diabetes

Interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Jay Skyler, MD, PhD, Deputy Director of the Diabetes Research Institute at The University of Miami, and Chairman of the NIH’s TrialNet, discusses the latest clinical research on Type 1 diabetes. He discusses in-depth the ongoing efforts to create the “artificial pancreas” closed loop system.

Disclosure: Jay Skyler, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Served as an advisor/consultant for: Sanofi-Aventis; Gilead Sciences, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc.; Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.; Cebix, Incorporated; Lilly USA, LLC, Dr. Skyler is an unpaid member of the scientific advisory board of MannKind

Received grants for clinical research from: Halozyme Therapeutics; Intuity Medical, Inc.; Mesoblast Limited; Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.

Owns stocks, stock options, or bonds from: Dexcom, Inc.; Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Moerae Matrix; Opko Health Inc.; Patton Medical Devices, LP