Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 - (Page 4) Two of the recommended products. cist spends with his diabetes patient is invaluable,” Campbell said. “It’s one of their most important jobs.” Voicemate has 20 audio features for patients with diabetes and visual impairment. Another monitor, the Accu-Check Aviva, recently received an Arthritis Foundation Ease-of-Use commendation. Price varies widely from approximately $10 to nearly $100, depending on features. Coupons are often available, and Medicare and many insurance companies will pay for diabetes testing supplies, especially if purchased with a physician’s prescription. But, the single-most important issue is meter accuracy. It has been several years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled glucometers because of accuracy issues, and those meters are off the market or have been corrected. The agency did issue a reminder in March 2008 that patients should use “only the test strip recommended for use with their meter.” Accuracy actually depends on both the user and the instrument. Patients should choose glucometers they can easily read and understand. The brightness of the screen, the size of the numbers, even the size of the meter can affect accurate readings. Choosing a Glucometer Patients face a wide range of choices when they choose a blood-glucose meter. These include: Accessories, such as test strips Battery type Calibration requirements Cleaning and maintenance Customer support Display features, especially clarity Cost Memory features Size Test site (finger, forearm, etc.) Time it takes to get a reading In its September 2008 issue, Consumer Reports reported on glucometers, evaluating accuracy and consistency. The magazine “tested 13 devices against a standard laboratory test using blood samples from diabetic volunteers. To test the meters’ ease of use, CR engaged lay and expert panelists with diabetes to use and score each glucose TABLE 1 monitor for size, speed, memory, and whether test strips required users to enter codes before testing,” according to a magazine spokesman. ADA and ACE have set blood sugar goals for patient self-monitoring The magazine, which accepts no advertising of blood glucose and HbA1c. and is owned by a nonprofit foundation, listed Glycemic Measurement ADA Recommendation ACE Recommendation these meters as its top four picks: < 7.0% ≤ 6.5% HbA1c OneTouch UltraMini ($20, $1.14 per test strip) 70-130 mg/dL < 110 mg/dL Preprandial Ascensia Contour ($80, $1.10 per strip) (before eating) ReliOn Ultima (Wal-Mart), a CR Best Buy ($9, $0.44 per strip) < 140 mg/dL Peak postprandial (taken < 180 mg/dL Accu-Chek Compact Plus ($73, $1.10 per 1–2 hours after a meal) strip) Sources: American Diabetes Association and the American College of Endocrinology Consumer Reports stated that “(w)hile the OneTouch was the only blood glucose meter receiving an excelWith regard to the instrument, several criteria are recoglent rating overall, the Ascensia and Accu-Chek were rated nized by the ADA and regulatory agencies. very good choices as was the ReliOn. They range from a variation of no more than 20 percent All four models delivered readings in about 5 seconds. The from the laboratory reference value, recommended by the Ascensia and the ReliOn can store hundreds more glucose National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards, to a readings than the OneTouch and upload them to a comdeviation of 5 percent from the reference value (the degree puter. of variation recommended by the ADA). Studies evaluating A newer version of the OneTouch that is just being introSMBG generally examine finger-stick measurements, but duced to the market is said to have additional memory and few studies have assessed the accuracy of SMBG using an uploading capability. The Ascensia and Accu-Chek models alternative site. automatically code test strips.” “The value of SMBG is so great that any time a pharma- Glycemic Recommendations 4 DRUG TOPICS N OV. 17, 2008 W W W.D R U GTO P I C S .C O M COURTESY OF WAL-MART, ONETOUCH http://WWW.DRUGTOPICS.COM
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 Special Report: Helping Patients Choose the Right Glucometer Pharmacy-Related Bills Stalled in State Legislatures Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 - Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 (Page 1) Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 - Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 (Page 2) Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 - Special Report: Helping Patients Choose the Right Glucometer (Page 3) Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 - Special Report: Helping Patients Choose the Right Glucometer (Page 4) Drug Topics - November 17, 2008 - Pharmacy-Related Bills Stalled in State Legislatures (Page 5)
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