Study: Insulin payment strategy could reduce costs for insurers, patients

A new study adds to a growing body of literature suggesting that human insulins may result in similar clinical outcomes as higher cost insulin analogues for many patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a report last week in JAMA. The study looked at an initiative implemented by a Medicare Advantage plan to encourage members with diabetes to switch from insulin analogue to human insulin. The program was associated with a small increase in population-level HbA1C, but no significant change in rates of serious hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Human insulin use increased to 70 percent of insulin prescriptions over the three-year initiative, while overall expenditures for insulin decreased by more than 50 percent.