The Wire

Markers of diabetes management have been deteriorating during the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdowns and social distancing measures discourage people from seeking out regular health services.

With diabetes disproportionately affecting Indigenous Australians, at almost four times the rate compared to non-Indigenous Australians, a new model-of-care comes as an exciting development.

In the trial, led by Associate Professor Elif Ekinci, Principal Research Fellow in Metabolic Medicine at the University of Melbourne, an innovative model-of-care involving a weekly nurse review and injection of a drug known as Exenatide-LAR, significantly improved sugar management for Indigenous Australians with Type 2 Diabetes in remote communities.