The Diabetes Problem

The global diabetes epidemic is expanding at pandemic levels. Costs for monitoring and treating the disease and its complications are skyrocketing. Lost productivity affects the economy worldwide. Current diabetes monitoring methods are not effective in helping people control the disease.

The Global Diabetes Epidemic
-300 million worldwide; expected to double by 2030
-Worldwide Diabetes Cost: $232 billion
-5th leading cause of death in USA; 4th in the world

Diabetes Complications

• Heart Disease
• Blindness
• Kidney Failure
• Extremity Amputations
• Nerve Disorders

Glycation (binding of excess sugar to proteins) is a major cause of the long-term complications of diabetes and an indicator of the risk of developing those complications

Diabetes Monitoring
The goal of diabetes monitoring is to control glycation and avoid the complications of diabetes. This allows diabetics and their health care providers to determine a treatment regimen, to monitor its effectiveness, and to alter it as needed for better overall glucose control

Current Diabetes Monitoring Methods:
-Physician visit every 6 months
-Multiple tests for diabetes monitoring

    Blood glucose (SMBG) - Up to 4x daily

• Marginal benefit to type 2 diabetics (95% of all diabetics)
• Expensive and inconvenient; only 25% compliance
• Does not measure protein glycation
• Increases patient stress and may negatively affect treatment outcomes

    Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) - Every 4-6 months

• Found to be inaccurate for patients on hemodialysis and for patients with red blood cell disorders
• Performed only 2-4 times per year – Not frequent enough to detect the advance of diabetes complications in a timely manner
• Poor doctor-patient feedback - the test is usually processed by an outside laboratory so results are reported to the doctor at a later date

Current diabetes monitoring methods do not meet patients’ needs.
–The Current Paradigm for Diabetes Treatment Does Not Work–